500 years later
by Squeegee Bea
Summary: 500 years from feudal Japan and on the other side of the world Sesshomaru encounters the reincarnation of his young ward Rin. Will the now successful business tycoon change the course of their destinies or let history repeat itself?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Thank you for letting me use them though!**

**Author's Note: So here is another Sesshy/Rin fic. *cough* what obsession? *cough cough* Anyways, this one is set 500 years in the future in America where Sesshomaru encounters Rin's reincarnation. I hope you enjoy it and hey drop me a line let me know what you think either way :D**

Sesshomaru sat in his tailored Armani suit and watched the humans bustle by, completely unaware of the demons in their midst. Well one demon and one imp to be exact. America was quite a change from Japan though he had a feeling that was more of the time than the actual location. He and Jaaken and moved here to the West when the humans had begun their second world war. So many demons had fallen or lived in hiding now that the humans had truly taken this world. If he had not watched it progress with his own eyes he would not have believed it were possible. They were also showing their capabilities for destruction, some of which were on the demonic levels.

With a sigh he lifted his tea and drank quietly. Jaaken was babbling about something or other again but Sesshomaru was not interested. He was busy musing over the differences in his life now and what it had been 500 years ago. It took constant use of power from him to keep Jaaken looking human. He had traded in his flowing white robe and armor for his fine suits. His hair that had once hung to his knees and blown about at will was now wound into a braid. He refused to cut it however and the color was still silvery. He couldn't bear the blurriness of vision brought on by wearing contacts so to the humans who saw him, he was just an oddity. His brother had long since passed and after the Naraku debacle he had married his priestess. Sesshomaru had watched over the family from afar but he never intervened himself. Some days he felt the loss of his brother and other days he felt as he ever did. On the days he missed him, he was inclined to believe it was loneliness in general more than a particular love for his half breed brother that spurred the feeling.

There was one person he missed most of all. Rin. Kagura may have warmed his heart enough for Tenseiga but it was Rin that had truly captured him. He had left her in the village after Naraku had been slain. Her too he had watched from afar and smiled as she found someone to wed. He had even watched over her children but after a time he had more pressing things to do. Now he regretted losing track of them. In all his long years it was her laughter he missed most. Or maybe the little songs and odd gifts. It was hard to tell these days. Still even that he chalked up to loneliness more often than not. There were no demons around here as he had long since driven them from his territory. Jaaken was his only companion and that was a cold comfort.

There was a commotion in the courtyard outside of his penthouse building. Sesshomaru ignored it as he was lost in his own misery but it had stopped Jaaken's prattling. The imp had taken over the day to day business of running the giant corporation Sesshomaru was the CEO of. So many new things he had learned and mastered when coming to this strange place. It made him homesick…a peal of laughter interrupted his thoughts and stiffened his body into absolute stillness. He knew that laugh but it was impossible. She had been dead for nearly 450 years. He had just finally lost what was left of his sanity. That was the only possible explanation.

The laughter resounded again, bouncing off the stone work of the courtyard. He couldn't resist it, even if he was going mad or had already gone mad he could at least see her again. He turned his head slowly to the sound of the laughter until his eyes rested on the central fountain. More particularly and the young woman who was sitting in it with her hair and clothing soaked. He would have expected the typical American woman to be angry with the fact that her clothing and now makeup was ruined not to mention her hair that she had spent time into putting up. Not tilting her head back and laughing until her small body shook with the force of it. The girl's friends were gathered around her taking pictures. It was then that a young man's head surfaced sputtering and cursing the laughing girl. "It's not my fault I told you it was slippery." She was saying around giggles.

"Last time I try and be chivalrous." He muttered. Sesshomaru had no trouble hearing their conversation from his seat under the large tree but he doubted that anyone else could. Her voice was the same and yet different. She was older though. This girl before him was a woman not a young girl. Her voice had a musical quality to it that was new but the exuberance was still there. Yet for all of the laughter there was an undertone of sadness, too soft for human ears. Suddenly his eyes were locked with a pair of deep brown ones. So dark the pupils were nearly indistinguishable, even to his demonically enhanced vision. She was staring at him. "Arinna, seriously now, we're gonna get in trouble." The young man was talking to her and holding his hand nearly in her face. She blinked breaking the link between them and shook her head.

"Yea sorry." She smiled and took hold of his hand as he helped her climb out. _Arinna_. Very unusual name. The fact that _rin_ was the central part of it was not last on him. He watched her attempt ring the water loose from her long brown hair. Her friends were all talking at once and he instantly tuned them out wondering if she was doing the same. She had a small bemused smile that indicated she just might be. Without really knowing what he planned to do he rose from his chair and was crossing the courtyard. Jaaken paced him momentarily, just long enough to drape something on his arm, then he fell back giving Sesshomaru space. Shortly after, the group of friends congregated around the girl parted to give him space as he approached. She was still wringing out her shirt when she spotted him and turned. Suddenly he realized he wasn't entirely sure what he intended to do by coming over here. "Is that for me?" She asked impatiently after he was silent for a moment. Her eyes fixed pointedly on his arm, the one Jaaken had draped something over. He extended the arm towards her seeing that it was a towel Jaaken had given him. "Thanks." She said as she grabbed it off his arm and began rubbing her hair dry.

"You're Mr. Taisho aren't you?" The young man's voice wafted over to Sesshomaru but he ignored it, eyes fixed on the girl. "Sorry about sitting in your fountain but we kinda fell in." He continued.

"Actually I fell in and then when David tried to help me out he slipped and fell in to." The girl spoke from underneath the towel. He waited, silent for her to finish. He wanted to ask her something but he wasn't sure what. Anything to keep her here. She straightened and removed the towel from his shoulders. "Um, thanks."

"Jaaken."

"Yes sir." Jaaken moved forward from behind him and took the towel from the girl. She looked a little puzzled by the interaction but she didn't say anything. They were quiet another moment where Sesshomaru fought to tune out the girlish whispers behind him.

"Okay then." The girl before him said and then she smiled quickly and turned to go. She was leaving. The girl who sounded and looked like Rin was just leaving. She didn't even give him a chance to say anything. How had Rin come to follow him before? It was too long ago to remember clearly.

"Miss." She stopped at the sound of his voice as did her friends. With a slow turn towards him he could see that she had raised one eyebrow at him. "Follow me if you wish to dry off more." He turned on his heel and walked towards his office building, not doubting that she would follow. She did linger in the courtyard awhile undecided before she promised her friends she'd catch up and she raced after him. The corners of his mouth quirked slightly upward in an expression he hadn't used for over four centuries.

Arinna followed the tall mysterious man with his beautiful white hair trying to ignore the squishing sound her shoes made as she walked. The suit had to be Armani or Gucci maybe. It was just too well tailored and the fabric looked more expensive than anything she'd ever owned. The smaller man that was with him, what had he called him? Jaaken that was it. What a strange name. And why did he act like his servant? Well perhaps it was because Mr. Taisho, big shot CEO of the corporate world ordered him around like one. She frowned at the long white braid but didn't keep it for long. The hair was just too beautiful. And so unusual. Who had white hair that wasn't a senior citizen or permanent raver? Mr. Taisho looked like neither of those. His eyes were unusual too. Bright golden amber. Normally she would've accused him of trying to stand out but somehow she got the impression that Mr. Taisho wasn't a man who felt the need for that sort of thing. He just had that supreme confidence that bordered too close to arrogance.

As they crossed the threshold of the giant skyscraper office building she amended the thought. His confidence crossed the border into arrogance. Every person that was employed in that building took one look at him and had the same reaction. Widened eyes, panicked searching, and then rushing up to him offering one of a million things or asking for something. Jaaken fielded all of the questions while Mr. Taisho just waved imperiously to scatter the overly helpful staff. They seemed terrified of him. She noticed more than one unfriendly assessment from the female staff members and stifled the urge to snap at them. Couldn't they see she was soaked through? Like she had any designs on the cold arrogant man in front of her not that they should either. But Arinna had always believed in a separate work and personal life. Of course, that could have been mostly based on her current employment.

The thoughts were pushed away as they approached a regal looking elevator with two burly guards standing in front of it. They stopped, waiting for something when finally Mr. Taisho looked over his shoulder at her. "Your name, for security purposes."

"Arinna James." She watched as the guards nodded briefly and then punched in the code to activate the elevator. Mr. Taisho turned his attention forward once more as they boarded the elevator. She had originally thought it empty but once inside she noticed an uptight looking woman standing just to the left side with a large stack of papers attached to a clip board.

"Mr. Taisho the board meeting was scheduled for twelve thirty I rearranged it until one when you weren't here." She jumped in as soon as the door was closed. If he acknowledged her, Arinna didn't see it. "You have three more meetings scheduled for the day and I need your signature on these forms please." He finally reached out one elegant hand to take the clipboard from her. The elevator climbed higher as his eyes scanned the pages before signing the bottom.

"Miss James will require a set of clothing to wear while hers is dried as well as lunch. Have it brought to my office." He commanded before handing the clip board back to her. Arinna was about to object when the chime sounded and the doors opened.

"Of course Mr. Taisho." The assistant said with a polite bow of her head. The man in question did not acknowledge that and merely stalked off the elevator. She had a moment's indecision where she seriously considered going back to the first floor.

"Rin." Mr. Taisho's voice was both soft and commanding at the same time. He was waiting for her but not watching her. The little man, Jaaken was staring at her with wide eyes. She sighed deeply before taking the step off the elevator and planting a wet shoe print on all of that nice marble flooring. They were walking again before the doors of the elevator closed behind her but she was already committed to her current course of action. _Just get your clothes dried and then you can leave._ She thought to herself as she watched that silvery white braid sway with his walk.

There were no other offices on this floor only a security station that looked extremely high tech and the paneled wall along the far end of the hallway. They seemed to be headed towards. Once close enough she couldn't make out a door and was starting to worry when Jaaken reached forward and pulled a panel aside. It was actually a sliding door which she realized was a very Japanese style now that she thought about it. Mr. Taisho walked past him without so much as a nod but she gave the little man a smile for his trouble. Once inside the office she couldn't help but whistle appreciatively. The entire room was done in ornate Japanese style with beautiful screens and dark wooded furniture. The whistle caught Mr. Taisho's attention and had him studying her intently again but she was too caught up in the grandeur to mind. "Young miss?" She turned to see Jaaken holding a pair of comfy looking yoga pants and a t-shirt neatly folded.

"Yes?"

"The bathroom is this way. If you'll just give me your wet clothes I can send them off to be dried." She smiled at him and nodded and then followed him to the bathroom. Mr. Taisho did not look up from his paperwork as we passed but she managed not to get too angry about it. He was after all being kind enough to allow her to use his staff and resources after she had made such a scene in the courtyard. The bathroom was every bit as lush and ornate as the rest of his office. She was afraid to touch anything and dirty it. Yet she stripped out of her wet clothes and stepped into the nice dry ones that somehow were the perfect size. When she went to open the door she heard Jaaken's voice, no doubt trying to be low so she wouldn't hear.

"Does my lord believe then that this is young Rin reincarnated?" There was no answer. "How does milord intend to keep her here? Kidnapping her would raise far too many questions." _Kidnapping?_ Her heartbeat thundered into overdrive and she looked around trying to find a way out. Maybe she could sneak away while he was in his meetings? That seemed unlikely but she frantically tried formulate an escape plan.

"I do not intend to keep her here Jaaken." Mr. Taisho's cold deep voice cut through her fog of panic. She felt her breathing gradually decelerate. Jaaken mumbled something incoherent and then she heard the door close. Realizing she couldn't really stay in the bathroom she opened the door slowly and emerged. Mr. Taisho did not look up from his desk.

"Uh, thank you again Mr. Taisho. This is really nice of you." He didn't acknowledge her gratitude which sent her temper into drive. Deciding it was probably best not to anger someone who didn't seem to have any compunctions against kidnapping her she strode towards the large bay window and looked down at the city. Her college was just a few blocks south of the building and her apartment a short cab ride from there. She heard the scratching of his pen on the paper behind her and felt her teeth gnash together in irritation. "So this is all yours right?" Still no response. She sighed loudly but if he got the hint he ignored it. "I'm just going to keep talking to myself since you apparently don't talk." There was still no response or even a break in the scratching of his writing. "Fine." She stomped over to one of the comfortable looking chairs and flopped into it closing her eyes. The writing noise was beginning to drive her insane in the silence so she hummed over it.

Finally after a couple of minutes the pen stopped scratching. She opened her eyes to be caught in the amber stare that was leveled at her. "Why did you call me Rin?" She blurted out. Her question seemed to surprise him but the only way it showed was a series of rapid blinks. "I asked you a question Mr. Tai…"

"My name is Sesshomaru." He cut her off. She ground her teeth together to keep from shouting at the infuriating man sitting not five feet from her.

"Fine, Sesshomaru." The name sound funny coming from her lips as she struggled to pronounce it right. "Why did you call me Rin? You don't know me well enough to use a nickname and how did you know that was mine anyway?" He didn't answer her just continued to stare. She felt her eyes narrow. "Do you do this to everyone or is it just me?" She watched as his eyes narrowed briefly then they were interrupted by a beeping sound on his phone.

"Yes." He barked into the speaker after pressing the button.

"Mr. Taisho, the board is waiting."

"Very well." He disconnected the call and stood from his desk. Apparently he was that terse with everyone though he had at least answered the disembodied voice on the phone. Mr. Sesshomaru Taisho strode right past Rin without saying a word or looking her way leaving her completely alone to fume in the oversized chair while her clothing finished drying.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters.**

**Author's Note: Thank you again to everyone who reviewed my story, your kind words mean a lot **** Thank you also to all of you who added this story to your favorites or put it on your alert list, I'm glad to know you like it that much!!**

Arinna fumed in his office for at least ten minutes before the door slid open. She turned with an angry glare about ready to tell Mr. Taisho exactly what she thought of him when she realized it was his assistant. She inclined her head to Arinna who got the distinct impression the former would have bowed if she hadn't been laden with such a full tray of food. None of which looked edible though it was very beautifully arranged. As soon as the assistant set it down in front of her she had to fight to keep her face straight. Sushi. _Yuck._ "Uh you know I'm actually not really that hungry." The assistant looked at her with something bordering between disbelief in abject fear. Arinna felt a flush creep into her cheeks and hated her body for betraying every single emotion. "Well you can leave it if you want but I'm not going to eat it so it's just going to waste." The assistant looked flustered but she started to leave after a slight blow to Rin. She tried not to glower at the poor woman she really did but the more she learned of this Mr. Taisho the less she liked him. "Oh any idea when I'll get my clothes?"

"Should be in a few moments miss."

"Thanks." The assistant left her alone again but her anger had pretty much dissipated. She moved the foul smelling fish to a coffee table across the room and then went to stare out the windows. It was a pretty view that was for sure. She could see the courtyard below and several blocks stretching out in front of her. She could probably have seen her apartment if the giant industrial towers hadn't blocked the view. She sighed and turned back to the office. With a wicked smile she walked over to his impressive desk and sat in the leather chair. It was firmer than she thought was comfortable but some people liked that. She tried to put herself in his shoes, even going so far as to make an angry scowl at everything. When she was bored with that she began snooping through his desk. It was all paperwork. There were no pictures of any kind, family, scenery or otherwise. Come to think of it she hadn't seen a ring on his hand but that seemed unlikely. He was a wealthy influential man with millions of dollars. Surely he had some sort of significant other. Well maybe he was like Tony Stark and had many.

She was still snooping through his things when she heard the door start to open. She hurriedly pulled out a pencil and was still searching for paper when she heard someone clearing their throat. When she looked up her eyes met a wide pair of brown ones. "Looking for some paper." She said with a quick smile.

"Oh top left drawer." The assistant said still not quite sure what she was seeing obviously.

"I was just going to leave Mr. Taisho a note thanking him cause I have to be getting to class. I was going to say mail my clothes but I see you have them so I'll just leave it at thank you." Rin added in trying to sound nonchalant and kind. The assistant relaxed visibly and left her wrapped clothing on the chair.

"I'm sure Mr. Taisho will appreciate that." Appreciate huh? I think that would require him to care first Rin thought angrily. Outwardly she smiled.

"Thank you too by the way. I really appreciate it." The assistant flushed slightly and then bowed again before scurrying away. With a sigh Rin made her way back to the perfectly polished bathroom and stripped out of the borrowed clothes. She had a smile on her face as she climbed back into her own that were now warmed by the dryer. After she was dressed she slipped back into the still empty office and pulled on her coat and shoes. She did leave him a note feeling a bit sheepish at her earlier irritation. He was obviously a very busy man who had taken time out of his day to help her out. Maybe Jaaken was just crazy or joking or something when he had mentioned kidnapping her. With one last look around the office she left.

She only got slightly lost on the way down and ran into a helpful security guard. He was much nicer than Mr. Taisho had been so much so that by the time she left she was back to her smiling bubbly self. Her cell phone rang as if the caller, her best friend Kelly, had been watching the front door just waiting for her to leave. "Hey, sorry it took so long. You would not believe how nice that office is." Rin gushed into the phone.

"OMG you went inside? What happened I need every detail? I'm serious Rin don't leave a single thing out. God he was gorgeous." Rin rolled her eyes at that as she turned down towards her street.

"Well he was really busy so we didn't talk much." Well _he_ didn't talk much she thought feeling a small surge of the previous anger.

"Did you see his eyes Rin? They're yellow! They must be contacts."

"Yea I saw them Kel, but I think they were more amber than yellow." Kelley groaned on the other end.

"God you are such an art student sometimes." Rin laughed and bounced around in the cold as she waited for the stop walk light to change. "What about his hair? Is it naturally that color?"

"I don't know Kelley I didn't ask him."

"Why not?" She fired back.

"Cause that's rude."

"I would've been peppering him with questions. Did you get his number? Did he ask for yours?"

"Jeez Kelley it wasn't like a date. He just let me sit in his office while his assistant dried my clothes. She groaned again.

"That is just so typically Rin. You end up in the private office of one of the most exclusive bachelors in the city and you let the chance pass you by."

"I'm sorry I disappoint you." She said with heavy sarcasm. "Look I'm home anyway so I'm going to do some work."

"We still on for later?"

"Absolutely. I'll be ready by ten."

"Yay! I'll be there and we are so going to get you hooked up." Rin rolled her eyes and then said goodbye. Her key slid into the lock with ease and she sighed happily when she entered her apartment. Her black cat made a beeline for her and started meowing and entwining around her feet.

"Yes, yes I'm home." She said to the cat while reaching down to pet it. The cat purred happily and kept demanding more attention so she picked her up and walked around the apartment with her. This was more than fine with her little motorboat. Rin pressed her answering machine button to hear the messages and laughed when heard Kelley's demanding voice echo through the apartment twice. David, the guy who had fallen into the fountain with her and a student she had two classes with also had called wondering where she was but he would be coming out with the group later so she didn't need to return the call. The last was from the college accounting department calling again to ask where her payment was. She sighed dejectedly and tossed her coat and purse onto the futon. Yea she'd have enough after this weekend but she really, really hated that job. Maybe it only seemed like she did after seeing how nicely Mr. Taisho lived. She sighed again and then moved to the kitchen to feed her cat.

Sesshomaru had been grinding his teeth together for nearly twenty minutes straight. If he were human he would've worn them down by now but since he was not all he was succeeding in was achieving a serious migraine. His board of advisors was beyond obnoxious. They chattered at him, whining about stock options and benefits packages for employees. He sat unphased as he always did wondering why they bothered. If someone presented him with a logical cost effective argument preferably in writing then he'd consider. Pitching it to him verbally when he clearly didn't want to be there especially in that whining tone was the fastest way to get him to ignore it. Of course he didn't actually care about the humans he employed but it was hardly professional to inform them of that, or so Jaaken told him.

He wondered if the girl was eating. She had been in his office alone for almost a half hour now and provided his half-wit assistant actually followed his instruction there would be food. He had hoped the meeting would be quick but apparently they had other plans. He wanted to know more about her. Although he had a feeling she was still angry with him. That was quite a difference from the little girl he had cared for. She had never defied him. Yet the girl in his office defied him completely. The more he tried to impose his will the angrier she became. The defiance angered him, perplexed him, and intrigued him all at once. It was something he wanted to explore but could do nothing about while chained to his meeting of subordinates. Shouldn't he be the one to call meetings? Wasn't _he _the one who told _them_ what to do? Stupid new century and its stupid new rules.

The sound of chairs scraping back as the people in them were standing up had him nearly springing into a standing position. They all inclined their heads to him knowing his disinclination for physical contact. Well that was a polite load of bullshit but whatever. He didn't want filthy human scent on him. It never seemed to come off despite repeated baths. He stalked out of the room and was immediately accosted by his assistant. She followed him talking the entire time but he was ignoring her. He had no interest in returning any phone calls or doing anything that did not involve Rin. He opened the door to his office and felt his whole body shut down. She was gone. He turned to his assistant who cowered away from him giving him a good idea of how much anger was showing on his face. "Where is she?"

"She left after I gave her her clothes. She said something about needing to get to a class." He strode over to his desk tracking the freshest of her scents when he noticed the tray of untouched food. He didn't ask his assistant about that but merely raised his eyebrow at her. "She said she wasn't hungry." The girl said in a slightly defensive soft tone. Whatever he wasn't in the mood to remind another human of their precarious place in the food chain. He read the quick thank you note and frowned.

"Take the food then, your dismissed." He ceased to pay attention to his assistant only keeping a peripheral eye on her to make sure she did as he said. Once she had left he switched on his desktop computer trying his hardest not to be annoyed by the constant hum of electricity. Becoming familiar with the ever-changing technological world was just one more way he had had to integrate with humans. Of course he insisted on being adept at all things involving said technology, which resulted in his easy ability to pull up Rin's picture from the security log. It was then a mere matter of several clicks to process it through the human databases to pull up her address and phone number. If any human was aware of his computer capabilities, they had never breathed a word within his hearing range.

He straightened his things and proceeded to exit the building intent on going to her home. What he would say when he got there was still forming but he would figure it out before he got there. He considered paging Jaaken to bring his car around to the front but thought better of it. The imp would only ask questions. He wasn't in the mood to answer questions, not that he ever really was. He walked past the security officers without so much as a glance but they didn't seem to mind and he pushed the elevator button on his own. It had taken him a little while to get used to the humans tripping all over themselves to do what he wanted. The fact that they did so because he had large amounts of money instead of any real fear irritated him on the best of days.

The few people in the lobby area made way for him and thankfully no one asked him where he was going. In fact no one said a word to him though he could feel their eyes glued to his back. The clogged air of the city assaulted him the second the doors open nearly choking him. He considered going back inside and sending for his car but when it came down to breathing less disgusting air or not being pestered, he would always choose the latter. So with an angry huff he started off towards the section of town in which the computer had told him Rin lived. Of course that meant he had to be careful of all the humans that were pressing ever closer to him. Usually his odd hair and eye coloring were enough to keep them away but not today apparently.

By the time he arrived outside the faded green building bearing the numbers he was searching for he was contemplating the merits of turning into his full demonic form and running rampant down the city streets for a while. After all wasn't that the theme behind that wretched Godzilla movie and all of it's sequels? He allowed himself a smirk at the image of the carnage he would create that would put Godzilla to shame. He took a deep breath before walking inside. Due to all of his death fantasies he had been distracted from thinking up a reason to be here so he took the stairs to give himself more time. Arriving on the second floor and in front of her door he found himself still unable to come up with anything that sounded remotely plausible. He could just tell her he was curious or he wanted to apologize for being rude before but that seemed pointless. Clearly he was curious about her and he wasn't sorry for being rude. He didn't even see it as rude; it was just the way he was.

All of the worrying was pointless as he listened in her apartment and the only heartbeat within was too soft and fast to be hers. Probably a pet of some kind. He frowned as he realized he hadn't known she'd had one. The water had probably washed away the scent. He gathered his still formidable power around him and rematerialized in her apartment. There was indeed a cat there that hissed at him and his sudden appearance in the dark house. He hissed back which sent the thing scurrying for cover. He tried not to grin at that but it had been so long since he'd gotten the appropriate fear response from anything besides Jaaken. He looked around her apartment and studied her things. She certainly had plenty to look at.

Most of it was pretty standard issue. Food, clothing, books, some shoes here and there. There was however an obscene amount of canvas and foul smelling oil based paint in tubes scattered everywhere. Clearly the girl enjoyed art but he couldn't understand how she could live with the smell. She didn't appear to be coming home anytime soon which only succeeded in frustrating him more. Between the meeting earlier and the paint fumes now his migraine was turning into a never-ending jackhammer. He decided to follow her scent to wherever she was and just make sure she was ok. Then he would leave her alone. He had things to do that were no doubt far more productive than giving himself headaches over a human.

With a deep breath he gathered his power around him again and reappeared in the hall. He then followed her scent as subtly as he could. She'd left the building with another human who had worn far too much perfume. They'd traveled east until they stopped at another house and another human had joined them, one that was distinctly male. Sesshomaru felt his irritation surge at that information but the cause was unclear. Why should it bother him? It was that annoying male that had been with her at the fountain true but he was an insect. Nothing more than yet another human taking up space.

Her scent stopped outside a building causing him to step back and look up at the flashing neon sign. A club. They had disappeared into a club. He felt all his muscles tense and stifled the growl. American clubs were the equivalent of a death trap for him. His keen sense of smell was overtaken by the scents of cheep alcohol and human sweat the moment he set foot in the places not to mention the music making it harder and harder for him to hear properly. He clenched his jaw and weighed the pros and cons before he made a decision. He stalked past the line of waiting humans in barely enough clothing and flipped the guard at the door a hundred dollar bill and his ID. The man let him in with a grin and a nod, which Sesshomaru ignored. The decision to enter and intentionally incapacitate himself had nothing to do with the roil of dark intentions coming off of the pair of thugs near the door. Or at least, that's what he told himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Sorry about the confusion on the last chapter guys, that's what I get for writing at 3 am! Here is the new addition I hope its better for you and as always thank you so much for all of the adds and reviews!**

Arinna was deep in the world of music and dance. Sure she had probably had one drink too many but she was busy dancing off the booze. And the frustration. A flash of sapphire light covered David's face and for that moment he was breathtaking. He was always a good looking guy, in the stereotypical jock kind of way. Boyish good looks as they were often referred to. She just wasn't that into the boyish look. She valued things like intelligence, wit, a sense of humor, and a sense of loyalty far more than a pretty face. David had repeatedly asked her out over their two year friendship and she had always politely but firmly turned him down. Yet it seemed like he was gearing up for another try and she was downright sick of having to say it repeatedly. She didn't want to be cruel and she valued David's friendship but if he couldn't leave it at that then she would just have to end it.

Kelley's drunken laughter attacked her ear as she stumbled out of her dancing partner's grasp. She knocked into Arinna apologizing and smiling while not really focusing. Rin decided that was exactly where she wanted to be. Drunk and not caring who saw instead of pondering over how to kick her good friend in the ego hard enough so he got the point. She shouted over the music to Kelley that she wanted another drink who enthusiastically agreed. They made their way to the bar where they ordered a round of shots. Then another. And then another. They danced some more and then went back for another two shots. By then she was really feeling it so she decided to take a breather from all the dancing. Yes, the dancing burned off the booze but she was having a hard time focusing on the shifting walls.

She snagged a booth and sank down happily into the seat deciding to rest her cheek against the tabletop before her. It was cool and her face was most definitely not. She had just closed her eyes for a moment when there was a loud burst of laughter and she heard someone getting into the seat across from her. Thinking it was David and Kelley she picked her head up slowly only to be confronted by a pair of strangers. Two guys obviously drunk were sitting there staring at her barely stifling their giggles. "Hey there pretty girl." The one that was sitting on the inside said as he leaned close to her. She moved back on reflex and then smiled quickly to try and cover it. "My friend and I here were wondering why a pretty girl like you isn't dancing?"

"I think I've had a bit too much to drink." She answered with a theatric hand to her chest as if she were fighting the urge to vomit. It wasn't that far from the truth so she really didn't need to act. They laughed confidently and gave each other some sort of eye signal.

"Well you should totally dance with one of us…"

"Or both of us!" The companion chimed in.

"Because that will help you come down a bit. Unless maybe you don't want to be down?" They both looked at her with barely focused eyes and leering smiles. Oh yea she really didn't want to be there.

"No thanks. Actually I think I'm going to go be sick now." She made a move to get up when the one on the outside caught her wrist and held it tightly.

"Now where are you running off to pretty girl?"

"Yea we came all the way over here to dance with you and now you're running away."

"I feel like I'm going to puke. Excuse me." The hand did not release her wrist even though she rose from the seat and tottered slightly on her feet. "Let go of my hand please." She turned and tried peg the boys with a hard stare but failed miserably. A wave of dizziness swept over her and she nearly fell over.

"Rin." A very deep rumbling voice growled her name from somewhere behind her. She knew the voice but her alcohol fuzzed brain was having the hardest time placing it. She started to turn when suddenly there was a tall man standing next to her and holding onto her elbow. She looked up into a pair of very amber eyes and felt it click into place.

"Mr. Taisho?" She was confused. What was a man like him even doing in a place like this? Not to mention the fact that she was still angry at him for something she couldn't quite remember now.

"Is this your boyfriend or something?" The drunken boy asked from the table.

"What?! No!" She whipped her head around, not a good plan as it caused the room to spin again and her unfocused eyes lessened the surety of her words.

"Well then do you mind pal? The pretty lady here was just going to dance with us."

"Actually…" She started when Mr. Taisho interrupted her.

"Remove your hand." The sentence was simple but the menace in his voice was clear even to her drunken senses.

"Hey, there is really no need to get all…" She was interrupted again, this time by the drunken duo still seated.

"This isn't really any of your business, friend, now go find someone your own age." Rin was abruptly glad that looks couldn't actually harm anyone for if they could, the one Mr. Taisho leveled at the two would have left them both limbless. Skinless too probably.

"Rin, do you wish to comply with their request?"

"No."

"You have your answer now remove your hand or I will be forced to assume you no longer wish to have use of it." Something in his eyes had Rin believing he meant every word, probably more in fact. The boy that held onto her hesitated then released her as soon as a low deep vibrating sound filled the air around them. Once the boy had released her she was led by her elbow through the club and out the door. She was focused mostly on making sure her feet went where they were supposed to but every once in a while she got distracted by Mr. Taisho. He was graceful even as he made his angry way through the crowd not touching anyone. The laser show created beautiful chaos as it danced across all of that white hair. Of course whenever she got distracted she stumbled and immediately went back to focusing on her feet.

She stopped as soon as they were outside and took a long breath of the cool air. It was almost chilly in comparison to the heat of the club. Mr. Taisho had stopped beside her but he didn't release her. "Uh, thanks for that." He turned to look at her and she frowned as his eyes looked more red than gold at the moment. She tried to free her arm from his grasp but he only tightened it and scanned the street. "Okay you can let me go now."

"This Sesshomaru will return you to your home." Wait what?

"I don't need you to Hollywood me home. I mean thanks for the rescue back there but I came with friends."

"That wasn't a request." He said after a moment of silence in which he glared down at her. He then started walking forward and dragged her along behind him.

"Hey! My friends are going to wonder where I went."

"Then I suggest you call them once you are home." His tone had that sense of finality to it that just made her blood boil. Who was he to command her?

"I'll scream." He stopped and turned on her giving her a malevolent glare not unlike the one he had fixed on the drunken boys earlier.

"No you won't." She glared back at him defiantly but knew he was right. Why she wouldn't scream was beyond her as she was being led away from friends and safety by a man she didn't know. Something was seriously wrong with her brain and it wasn't just the drink, though those last two shots were catching up with her now. They started moving again though after several stumbles on her part he slowed down. He sighed loudly to show her he wasn't happy about that but she couldn't muster the will to care. All of her effort was bent on not throwing up. That would have been embarrassing.

Sesshomaru watched Rin try to walk unsteadily and nearly growled in frustration. He needed her to be inside her house and safe but this was taking too long with her obviously intoxicated pace. He contemplated just picking her up and carrying her the whole way but that would have aroused suspicion from the humans. That was the last thing he needed right now. "You know you are a very unpleasant person." Her words were slurred as they left her mouth but her tone suggested she was honestly angry with him. He did not however respond to her. That wasn't the first time nor the last he assumed that someone would make that observation. Her approval meant nothing to him. "I mean seriously. Your overly pushy, you just show up don't say hi or anything, then you just drag me around when I can't fight with you." He kept them moving towards the goal of her house without acknowledging her rant. Better to just let her get it out of her system and there was no use trying to reverse the behavior at this point. "Like this right now. I'm talking to you and you just ignore me. So rude."

She was wrong of course. He did talk to her, more than he talked to anyone else in fact. He was constantly having to remind himself _not_ to answer her questions. Being completely preoccupied with her was more than enough humility for him. She continued the ranting as they walked down the sidewalk not really noticing that her words were becoming more and more slurred as they went. Every time she stumbled he righted her easily and then kept them moving. They were outside her building shortly enough but the stairs in the front caught his attention. Getting her up those was going to be a conundrum at this point. Yet as soon as they stood before them she started to climb without missing a beat. He was at her side in a flash of speed, holding her around the waist and by the elbow. She struggled against him even taking a swing at his chest as he carried her up the stairs without trying to be obvious about it. "I am perfectly capable of walking up the stairs Mr. Taisho."

"Rin stop that." He said as she actually hit him in the abdomen with her waving about. She did at once and then she just glared up at him. She could glare at him all she wanted as long as she moved while she did it. He ushered her into the elevator and all the way up to her door without further complaint.

"Key's under the mat." She said as she leaned against the frame. Well sagged against it really. Sesshomaru was momentarily worried that she'd passed out as he put the key in the lock and opened the door but then her eyes opened and she stumbled inside. He followed her in after returning the key to its hiding place. Her cat hissed at him again doing its best to imitate a ferocious lion. He hissed back and sent the little furball scurrying for cover. Rin was already removing articles of clothing as she moved about the house. He decided to make her drink some water before she fell asleep instead of standing there watching her disrobe like a lecher. He was many things but a pervert was not one of them.

It took him a little while to find the cups in her cupboards. Mostly because there was no real organization to them but the fact that he was listening to her move around her room making sure she was in fact still moving wasn't helping the situation. By the time he heard her feet making a zig zag path toward him he had already filled the glass with tap water that smelt considerably less than appetizing. He set the glass down in front of her as soon as she was seated at the table. "Drink." He commanded with a nod of his head toward the glass. She did as he instructed and then stared him down. It took quite a bit of effort for him to stay staring into those deep brown eyes and not at all of the soft skin her tank top revealed.

"Would you really have done it?" She whispered as she studied her interlocked fingers intently.

"Done what?"

"At the club, you threatened that guy remember? I was wondering if you really would have done it." He hesitated before answering her. Sure he could just not answer but his omission would no doubt be taken as a 'yes' which it was. Yet he didn't want to frighten her away.

"Yes." She looked back up at him and nodded. She stopped talking and finished her water. She didn't resume the questioning afterwards which to his surprise caused him to get frustrated. He frowned as he watched her study her hands and then the table top and then look away. The only sounds in the apartment were the sound of her slow even breath, her steady heartbeat, and the clock ticking away somewhere in the place. None of which were audible to her. "Does that bother you?" The words were out of his mouth before he had really decided to ask the question. His frown only deepened but it was at himself rather than her.

"It should." She said with a sigh and then a shake of her head. He was actually mollified by that. The lines in his face smoothed away returning it to its expressionless state. She shook her head and put it down on her arms which were folded on the table. He waited for her to say more but she didn't. Instead he listened to her breath and her heart slow to that languorous pace usually indicative of sleep in humans. He waited a little longer to be sure she was truly asleep before he rose from the table and gently lifted her from the chair. She didn't wake although she did turn into his body and snuggle closer to him. Usually proximity was a problem, especially with humans, but this was Rin.

He walked silently through her apartment until he reached her room where he laid her down in her bed. He had the covers over and was confident she was comfortable in moments. The satisfaction that simple fact brought him was not something he cared to dwell on at the moment. He sighed heavily. What was he going to do now? Lying to himself was pointless. He was well aware of how attached he was becoming to this simple little human and that was a very dangerous and stupid mistake. He stood staring down at her and began to feel like a lecher again so he let his head fall back intending to stare at the ceiling. Of course when he actually saw the ceiling he did stare but not without purpose. Rin had painted the ceiling of her room to be a perfect rendition of the night sky complete with stars and wisps of clouds. He was utterly enthralled with the masterpiece. So much so that he lost track of the passing time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Thank you for all of your reviews! I love the feedback it makes me smile for hours really! As always I hope you enjoy the new addition and again apologize for the delay. I wasn't really sure where I wanted the story to go. I'm still not positive but I have more of an idea now. Thanks again for keeping posted!**

Arinna awoke squinting into the morning light. _I am never drinking again._ She thought as a headache made itself known. She yawned and stretched then bolted upright. How had she gotten into bed? Her last memory was sitting at her kitchen table and then nothing. She had been sitting at her table with Mr. Taisho of all people. She turned apprehensively towards the bay window in her room and saw the man in question seated there gazing out. She screeched and pulled the sheets up to her chin. The noise seemed to take him by surprise but he just whipped his head around to stare at her expressionless as always. "What the hell are you doing here?" He didn't answer just blinked at her. "Fine give me one good reason not to call the cops and you better answer that one." She reached towards her phone threateningly.

"I can kill you and be long gone before they arrive." His voice was flat as he talked about murdering her. He did have a point though. This was downtown and cops took a bit longer to respond around here than they should.

"Okay. Get out."

"If you wish this Sesshomaru to leave I will." She frowned as she tried to say the unfamiliar word in her head. "I only escorted you back here after your drinking antics last night." He frowned at her, obviously displeased with her 'antics'. It was a supreme effort not to stick her tongue out at him.

"How did you know where I lived?" His face blanked again and then he spoke in his distant voice.

"I came to speak with you earlier today but you were not here."

"Why were you at the club?"

"Am I not permitted?" He fired back.

"Just doesn't seem like a place for stuffy people is all." She shot at him. She bit her lip feeling bad for yelling at him, even though he was being beyond creepy, he had rescued her from those two idiots and brought her back here. "Could you just turn around for a minute?" He seemed confused by her request but did it. She slipped out of bed and snared her robe wrapping it around her body at a new record for speed. Once it was tied she cleared her throat and raked a hand through her hair really quick. "Okay I'm good now." He turned back to her and eyed her robe then looked at her clearly still a bit confused.

"Well I can see that you are fine so I'll be leaving." He stood up and made his way toward the front door. Unbelievably she found herself calling out to him. He stopped and turned to face her again.

"Would you maybe care for some breakfast?" He seemed to consider it.

"I do not eat." His answer was both haughty and insecure at the same time. The man was just a walking paradox she decided.

"Okay fine. I was just trying to be nice but this is too weird for me anyway." She smiled quickly but it had no feeling to it. He didn't move however. She sighed and looked around absently for her cat. Normally by now she was in full out panic mode at not being fed. "You didn't happen to see a cat sneak out of here last night did you?" She asked him.

"The feline is afraid of me and hiding in your closet." His voice and his posture were clearly unrepentant. Why her cuddle whore of a cat was afraid of him was another matter entirely but she wasn't in the mood to figure it out.

"Alright well, thank you for bringing me home I guess. I'll see you around." She knew she was being rude but whatever. He still didn't move but before she could really start to panic he spoke.

"Be dressed and ready in twenty minutes. I will return for you then."

"Excuse me?"

"You expressed a need to eat." He said as if that explained everything.

"Yea and you don't need to, apparently, so we're good." He gave her a reproachful look.

"Twenty minutes." He then strode for her front door and left with her staring open mouthed behind me. How dare he? Who did he think he was anyway? Just randomly stay in some strange girl's apartment like a stalker and then order her around. Arinna glowered at the front door weighing her options. The man was strange and not just foreign customs strange. Although, come to think of it, maybe he was just acting like any other rich man who was used to getting his way. Now the real debacle was to go or not. Free breakfast was free breakfast even if she had to sit through an hour or so of rather unpleasant company. But his unpleasantness was rooted in his silence and well she could deal with that couldn't she? Of course she didn't want him to get the wrong idea and her conscience twinged slightly at the thought of taking advantage of the man.

With a heavy sigh she carted herself off to her shower and got it going. As long as she was going to hell she might as well enjoy the ride. After all she did owe him for the intervention of the previous evening. Though she was still curious as to what a high society businessman like himself was doing in one of the popular college night clubs. Oh well. It wasn't like she was bound to get any answers. Even if she was brave enough to ask the question.

Sesshomaru paced his office after transporting himself there magically. Jaaken had been surprised to say the least by his master's sudden reappearance. The little imp had been bowing and scraping for the last ten minutes. Normally this amused Sesshomaru but today he was beyond amusement. Of all the stupid hair brained things to come out of his mouth he had gone and invited the human to breakfast. Like on a date. Sure she was the reincarnation of Rin but that did not excuse his behavior. He was torn between calling to cancel or just not going at all. He could just walk away right now and forget about it. He had ten minutes to decide. Five hundred years he'd walked the earth and now suddenly he was pressed for time. He growled and shook his long mane of hair. Jaaken cowered even further into the carpet, if that were possible.

He was not so dense as to be oblivious to the irony of the moment. All he had ever wanted in his entire life was to be the most powerful demon alive. Now he was. There were far few left in existence all of whom were powerful enough to blend in effectively or they would not have survived. None could rival him however and none dared to. North America was his territory and any who ventured here were dealt with swiftly and decisively. That left him terribly alone. He had no desire to be the last demon standing and even now he could not muster the same drive for being the most powerful. The world was not how he imagined it would be without the existence of demons to keep the human population in check. Now here he was, tired and alone with only a human for companionship. No he understood the irony perfectly well. "Milord?" Came the high squeaking voice that no amount of glamour could hide. He stopped his pacing but made no other show of acknowledgment. "If you would perhaps inform your servant as to why you are so upset I could perhaps find a way to fix it for you." Because he couldn't? Sesshomaru resisted the temptation to peg the little man with something from his desk.

"I will be out of the office this morning. Hold my calls and reschedule any meetings." He managed not to growl while he said it which for him was quite rare.

"Yes milord." Sesshomaru was about to magic himself away again when the imp called after him. "If I may, Lord Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru waited. "The annual gala is only a week away and you still have not responded to your invitation." He groaned internally. That stupid party with all of the stupid humans crowding him, offering false platitudes. The whole thing made him want to sink his fangs into something.

"Later Jaaken." He responded hotly. He wasn't really in the mood to think about his responsibilities within the human world just then and now thanks to the meddling whelp he was late. He gathered his power around him and dematerialized though he thought he heard the imp saying something as he'd left.

He arrived on Rin's doorstep later than he said he would but he could still hear her bustling around in there. He had another second to decide whether standing her up was the better option before his hand rose and knocked on the door. Centuries of life and practice, he'd lost track of how many lives he'd ended and now he couldn't control his own limbs? This was just unacceptable. He imagined his face was not in its most pleasant set when the door opened and the gust of air washed him in her scent. She was wearing a dress, or what constituted a dress in this era. Utterly fetching in its simplistic design and white coloring with red flowered print. Just like blood on snow. She was staring up at him with wide blinking eyes so he made the effort to compose his face into a less frightening version. "Ready?" She asked seeming to hesitate in the frame of the door. He nodded once and stepped aside so she could exit her own house. "Did you have some place you wanted to go? I know this great little diner with the best pancakes around."

"The food is for you Rin. This Sesshomaru does not care where you eat it." She turned to look at him with one eyebrow quirked up. An obvious question but what was she asking?

"What is that word you keep saying?" He raised an eyebrow of his own in response. "Sesh…sess…whatever." He ground his teeth together.

"Se-ssho-ma-ru." He enunciated every syllable for her clearly. "It's my name." Her eyes widened.

"Se-ssho-ma-ru. Wow. Quite a mouthful." She smiled briefly at him before leading the way down the hall to the elevator. He kept pace easily of course but was far too busy trying to understand this girl. "You were right about the cat by the way. I've never seen her so scared." She added a slight chuckle. For the life of him he would never understand the human need to fill every silence with conversation. Most of it was meaningless thus reaffirming his dislike of the pastime. If you had something of value to say than say it, otherwise be silent. The world would be a much nicer place if they would just learn that. He stood by her side for the entire elevator ride and then followed her out the door and down the steps to her building. Once on the sidewalk he waited for her to decide which direction they were going. She looked one way and then the other, seeming confused.

"I thought you knew where this place was?"

"I do." She snapped. "I just can't remember which way is easier." He said nothing more just let her make up her mind. She finally did with a nod and headed off to the right. She checked once to make sure he was following and seemed surprised to find him striding along beside her. As if her human pace could possibly be difficult for the likes of him. Of course, she didn't really know he was a demon now did she? She didn't try to draw him into anymore conversation, which was nice, although her dress was far too appealing for her own good. He couldn't stop sneaking a glance at it as they walked down the sidewalk. Several people stopped and stared or did a double take when they saw them. The stare was no doubt for her, the double take for him. It wasn't very often that Mr. Taisho was seen wondering the college district.

She stopped abruptly and made a small shout of triumph causing him to halt and take in their surroundings. She hadn't been exaggerating when she'd described the establishment as 'little'. Yet when they walked in she was greeted with a smile and wave then she made her way to a booth and sat down. He really had no choice but to follow her so he pushed away the stench of humans and what they called food. Far from appetizing in his mind. A waitress appeared in a ridiculous uniform and asked for their drink order. He listened as Rin ordered hot chocolate and then looked at him expectantly. Hadn't he said he didn't eat? He ordered water, fully intending not to touch the glass unless he absolutely had to. Rin continued to scan the menu pretending to ignore him or so he gathered. "So, may I call you Sesshomaru?" He blinked and looked back towards her. He hadn't even realized he'd turned away.

"Yes." She nodded and then clasped her hands over the menu that was now folded and on the table.

"Okay Sesshomaru." He tried in vain to ignore the way her voice seemed to caress his name. "Here is the deal. I get that you don't like to talk or whatever, really I do. But you can't just show up where I am, rescue me, then stay in my house all night and expect me not to have questions. I would really like an answer so I could be a little less creeped out." He watched her steadily, listening to her even heart beat and normal pulse rate. She didn't seem to be nervous or uncomfortable.

"Very well. Ask your questions." She blinked several times as if surprised that he had actually answered her.

"Why?"

"This Sesshomaru does not understand your question." She frowned slightly then waited while the waitress set down their drinks. She gave her food order and Sesshomaru waved a hand when the waitress turned to him.

"Why me? I mean I know you helped me after I fell in your fountain and thank you for that really but I don't understand. Why did you come to my house to talk to me and why did you of all people end up at the club last night?"

"You remind me very much of someone I once knew." He found himself answering her before he'd decided to, again. How did she do that anyway?

"Someone you cared for?" She pressed. Well that was the question now wasn't it? Had he ever really _cared_ for Rin? In the way she meant? Of course he'd cared for her as in looked after her, kept her safe and fed. But had he ever really had feelings for the human? Before he could even land on an answer he was awash with a wave of magic. Old powerful magic. Seconds afterwards he was nearly overpowered by the scent of rotting flesh. The door to the diner opened and in walked a demon. Well shit. Should he get up and leave her without an explanation? If the other demon saw her with him she would automatically become a target. And why didn't he know that there was another demon in his territory anyway? Rin must've noticed his shift in attention because she turned her head to see what his eyes were fixated on. It was like slow motion perfection in which he could do nothing to stop it. She turned just as the demon turned and when its eyes locked they locked with Sesshomaru's. They widened briefly and then turned to Rin and smirked. "Do you know him?" Rin was asking him without looking away from the demon in question. She excelled at picking questions he didn't know how to answer.

"In a way." The foreign demon turned his whole body to them and began to saunter over. The closer he got the more pungent his smell was and Sesshomaru was having a very difficult time not leaning away from it.

"Well hello there." The demon smiled flashing fangs and sickly green colored eyes at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru took in a deep breath and let it out slowly trying his hardest not to growl in front of Rin and succeeding in cutting it down to a slight rumbling in his chest. "What is a pretty young thing like you doing with a dog like this?" The flesh demon asked Rin in an almost purring voice running a finger along her jaw line.

"Remove your…"

"Having breakfast." She interrupted him sounding breathless. He spared a glance for her and noticed the slight tremble to her shoulders. Could she sense how different this creature was from her?

"Well you certainly smell delicious." The demon smiled again, trying to bespell Rin with his eyes. Sesshomaru didn't try to quell the growl this time and succeeded in wrenching the demon's gaze back to his own. "Something to add Fido?"

"She is mine." He bit out through clenched teeth. He received identical wide eyed stares from the demon and Rin. He didn't have time to soothe Rin's fears at the moment. He had to make his point known to this demon before it got anymore ideas.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters.**

**Author's Note: Hey guys thank you again for all the reviews! I'm glad you like the story. I'm hoping to be able to update more now that I have a direction for it. Hope this new chapter is enjoyable for you! Warning: If you are particularly allergic to citrus, then avoid reading from Sesse's POV on. There is some definite lemon flavoring going on.**

Arinna blinked, several times. _Mine?_ She most certainly was not 'his'. The creepy guy was staring at Sesshomaru like he had just said that pizza did in fact come from Mars. The man in question sat unphased as usual, except perhaps for a tightness in his expression that wasn't there before. The man next to her, the one who was casually touching her while watching Sesshomaru's reaction was another matter entirely. He gave her a serious case of the creeps. Shudders she could barely repress broke out every time he looked at her. His eyes were green but not any kind of green she'd ever seen in a human face before. It was almost that sickly shade of green. He was also close. Too close for comfort and he smelt, off. There really wasn't any other way to describe it and she felt horrible just for thinking it. Sesshomaru seemed to know him somehow and there was certainly no love between them. They were in the process of an intense stare down when she realized she was a pawn between them.

She moved farther into the booth to get away from the newcomer's easy reach. His eyes looked back into hers and she felt a strange pulling sensation. As if he were trying to draw her back toward him with his eyes. She almost followed the urge until a clatter from the kitchen drew her eyes away from the lock with the stranger's. Another low rumble from a passing truck went by though it sounded closer this time. How many eighteen wheelers came through downtown anyway? Or was she just now suddenly hyper aware of everything around her? The stranger touched her again and the feel of his damp skin against her bare arm caused her to pull it back towards her without thinking.

Sesshomaru was suddenly on his feet and towering over the stranger who was looking amused. "Outside." The single word uttered from a bored expression held enough malice to have Arinna cringing in her seat.

"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru." The stranger's silky voice made a clear emphasis on the title. Arinna felt her own eyes widening. If Sesshomaru noticed, he ignored her and instead stalked behind the stranger with an arrogant grace. They left the diner and stood on the curb, both facing the street. It was impossible to hear what they were saying and they were turned from her so she couldn't read their lips. In fact, it looked as if they were just chatting. Two old acquaintances discussing something or other on the street. Perhaps they had been teasing each other over her in some fraternity kind of way. Sesshomaru certainly had the money to go to some fancy college with a secret society. What was she even doing here? She'd woken up in her apartment with a strange man just sitting in her window and then she'd invited him out to breakfast? Her brain was clearly on hiatus.

"You're food, miss." The waitress said while placing the stack of pancakes in front of her. Her appetite returned with a vengeance and she smiled gratefully before digging in. She was so engrossed in her food she didn't notice Sesshomaru reenter the diner until she looked around for her glass and was greeted by his elegant pale hand holding it for her. She had the grace not to jump in surprise but just barely.

"Thank you." She took the proffered glass and waited for him to say something. She waited for him to explain who that was and what had gone on between them and why had they involved her. As usual she was met with a blank expression staring out of those golden eyes. She sighed and leaned back in her seat clasping her hands in her lap. She'd devoured the pancakes anyway. "So, how do you know that guy?" Sesshomaru's lips thinned momentarily and then he strummed those elegant fingers on the table top. She took a sip of her drink just to escape the intensity behind his golden stare.

"If you are finished then, we need to leave." She frowned at him but he didn't budge. She set the glass down on the table, probably a little more forcefully than she needed to, and stood up. He was on his feet again faster than she would've believed possible and then he tossed down two twenties on the table top. She was opening her mouth to object when she was gripped at the elbow and led from the diner. Once outside she was greeted with a sleek black car polished to a shine. The small man from Sesshomaru's office waited on the passenger side with the door already opened. Had he called for his car? "Get in, Rin." Sesshomaru's deep voice commanded her from the other side of the car. He stared her down as if daring her to refuse him. With a loud sigh she got in, making sure to tuck in her skirt so she wasn't flashing her underwear at the nice man still holding the door.

He closed it as soon as she was seated and then Sesshomaru sped off. "You're just leaving him there?" She was answered with nothing but increased speed. They were soon beyond the city limits and she was starting to get frightened. Hadn't the little man said something about kidnapping her last time she'd met him? Sesshomaru shifted gears and weaved through cars like a pro but it didn't stop her from death gripping the door handle. "Where are we going?"

"Away." Her eye's widened again and she watched him drive. Okay he was angry. Tension radiated off of him and he was clenching his jaw hard.

"Can we at least slow down? I'm not very good in cars." Sesshomaru looked over at her. Gave her the elevator eyes actually and then slowed the car down. Clearly her terrified appearance had made a difference. "You can't just whisk me away you know. I mean obviously you _can_ but I will be missed."

"You will call your friends and tell them you are safe." Commanding instead of asking again. She bit her tongue against the harsher words that wanted to break free.

"Why in the world would I do that?" She demanded instead. At least it wasn't yelling or profanities. A low rumble began to fill the car and Sesshomaru suddenly turned the wheel, whipping them off the main road and onto a dirt overlook. She had to put her hands against the dashboard to keep from slamming her head off of it when he switched into park. She turned to glare at him and found him staring off through the windshield gripping the wheel hard enough to clench the muscles in his arms.

"You are in danger and I am trying to make you safe. He _will_ come back for you Rin. Do not fight this Sesshomaru on this." She felt panic and something closer to affection warring for dominance. He was actually trying to protect her?

"The man from the diner?" She asked out loud as the thought came to her. Sesshomaru did that quick jerky of a nod. Just what kind of business man was this Sesshomaru anyway? She had never paid much attention to anything in the papers about him. He was good looking, wealthy beyond all reason and seemed to excel at all things financial. She frantically searched what little she'd read for any hints of mob related activities. Damn why didn't she read the paper like a normal person. She sighed softly still cursing her own inability to pay attention to the world around her and looked over at her strange protector. He was still seething. She tentatively reached out a hand and laid it on his bicep.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to do. He froze beneath her hand and turned his head slowly to stare down at the offending object. She started to withdraw her hand and blinked only to open her eyes and become completely disoriented. Her seat was pushed back as far as it could go and Sesshomaru was on his knees in the passenger side right in front of her. His face was so close she feel his breath. "Umm…" She couldn't think of anything to say but the dynamic of this progressively strange day had just shifted. She'd gone from scared, to annoyed, to terrified, and now she was in the grips of intense attraction.

Sesshomaru locked down his body as soon as he regained control of it. The girl was already scared out of her wits and now he had her pinned in the car. He was about to say something, anything to try and calm her when the air around her changed scent. She wasn't frightened, or at least that wasn't the dominant emotion right now. She was aroused. By him. He leaned in closer to her, slowly, gauging her reaction as he went until he was close enough to take a deep breath of her scent right at her neck. Heat radiated off her making him realize just how cold he was. So cold and she was just so warm. He placed his arms on either side of her legs to steady himself and trailed the tip of his nose along her jaw line, all the while breathing in her scent.

She shuddered causing him to stop until he felt her hands coming to rest on his shoulders. When he pulled back from her to look at her face she was staring right back at him with those warm brown eyes. They were wide though, too wide. She was still afraid. They stared at each other for a few moments where he just listened to her heavy breathing. She leaned forward and closed the distance between them. It wasn't particularly swift and he could've moved if he'd wanted to but it was curious to him. He didn't know what the purpose behind the action was. The purpose, it turned out, was something wholly unexpected. Once she was close enough she tilted her head slightly and brushed her lips against his. When he didn't resist she pressed them harder but still it was soft. It was also strangely pleasant. No one had ever kissed him before. Not like this.

His reaction was stronger than he'd thought. He returned her gentle kiss with a rough demanding one of his own. Even though he was aware that he should stop and that humans were far more fragile than demons he couldn't. He growled low in his throat which made her freeze but he kept kissing her. He felt her hands slide upwards from his shoulders to bury in his hair and then she pulled him closer to her, kissing him just as roughly as he was her. His body stirred. Like it was waking from a very long sleep and wasn't quite sure it remembered how to work. She was warming him. Slowly but surely this kissing and touching was warming his body all the way to his bones where he was the coldest. He needed more.

He moved his hands closer so they were touching the outside of her thighs. Some distant part of him was aware that the glamour spell he held on himself would not hold under this much pressure. She would feel his claws when he touched her. But damn her skin was so soft. Soft and warm. He trailed one clawed finger from her knee to the hem of her skirt and felt her sigh against him. Yup, this was a bad plan and it needed to stop. He wasn't sure he wanted this and he was already having trouble controlling his body. He did stop, but not because he'd finally managed to get a reign on himself. No he was stilled by Rin as she licked at his bottom lip. Such a strange human act that had him puzzled. She did it again and he felt his lips part slightly. She licked him again, this time a little more demanding and sliding her tongue ever so slightly into his mouth.

Of all the things he had ever thought would happen to him, this was nowhere near the list. He'd never liked humans even when he had been forced to assimilate into their world or live as an outcast. Now, here he was, sitting in his very expensive Bentley kissing this very simple human woman. The reincarnation of Rin of all people! Of course it would be her though. Who else would dare treat him as something other than the Overlord of the West? She was his Rin and he had missed her so very, very much. From his chest came a sound he hadn't thought he was capable of making. He was purring his contentment, the animal in him overriding the need to be human around humans. Rin naturally did not seem to mind.

He kissed down her jaw and then followed the line of her neck to her collar bone. The little moan that escaped her mouth almost undid what little control he was keeping over his new strange impulses. He brought his arms up to encircle her waist and pull her closer to him which she aided by arching her back and twisting his hair in her hands. He had a loud demanding impulse that he understood quite well but was powerless to override. With a growl he kissed back up to her neck and sank his teeth into that soft warm skin. She gasped against him and then moaned again giving the animal in him more than enough incentive to keep going. His higher brain functioning finally kicked in and he peeled himself off of her. "Stop." He commanded, moving as fast as he could to get out of her reach within the confines of the car. He was breathing hard and trying to ignore the sudden absence of her against him.

"Sorry." She whispered. She was breathing hard to and looking quite ruffled. He wanted to hold her again and yet he wanted to get her out of the car so he could think clearly for just a moment.

"I…" He couldn't think of what to say. The sound of their shared panting was not helping his search for mental clarity. She ran fingers through her long brown hair, shaking out the snarls and sending fresh waves of her scent in his direction.

"Could you…" she tried to talk but her voice came out low and muffled. She cleared it and then started again. "Could you just take me home please? I need to think and I can't seem to do that very well with you so close." She smiled softly and a pale blush crept up to her cheeks. She thought _she_ was having trouble with coherency? He couldn't seem to make his unruly brain get around her.

"You are still in danger." That helped clear the fog a bit.

"Can you protect me in the city?" He frowned and tried not to growl at her. Of course he could protect her anytime anyplace. It was just easier to do it elsewhere.

"Of course." She nodded emphatically.

"Good. Then take me home please." He weighed the myriad of options available to him in the time it took her to rearrange her dress and hair and start to pull her seat forward again.

"Hn." He climbed back over to his own seat and started the engine again. She scooted the seat back to where it had been and cracked her window. Fresh air flew into the car, blowing her scent into his face and yet dulling it at the same time. He decided this was a good plan and cracked his as well. The air flow cleared his senses by the time they were back in the city. She was staring out the window every time he glanced her way. He was once again curious as to what she was thinking. Human minds normally seemed so trivial to him. Boring in their abject simplicity. Yet now, he wanted to know what she was thinking. Perhaps it might help him unravel the tangle of his own thoughts.

They arrived outside her building moments later and she opened the door. "Thank you." He turned to look at her. She flushed and then smiled again. "For breakfast and the ride I mean." She turned her body again and was getting ready to leave.

"This Sesshomaru will return for you this evening. You are not to leave this building until I do." She turned a fiery defiant stare his way. "You will not defy me in this Rin." She turned angrily and got out of the car slamming the door behind her. She better not make him tear the city apart looking for her. She was his, and now everyone could see it and hopefully smell it. That thought had him wanting to tear after her and make sure every inch of her smelt of him. Instead he threw the car into drive and sped off towards his office.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha**

**Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks again to all of you for your reviews and adds. I know I always say it but I'm always very grateful. You guys are amazing and hey, you put up with my slowness and indeciveness. That's something to be thankful for! **** Well here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy. P.S. Sorry about the cliffy….I promise to post more soon!**

Arinna opened the door to her apartment and was greeted by a howling cat. Apparently Sesshomaru hadn't been exaggerating when he'd mentioned the frightened little furball. She was usually only this aggressive with her need for attention after she was scared. Arinna closed the door with a kick and picked up her beloved pet all the while murmuring gibberish to her and stroking the soft fur. She needed some time to think and was looking forward to the day of peace. Her life had just begun to move far too rapidly and her brain was just, well it was not working anymore she decided. After all, who macks on the man that essentially kidnaps them? The Stockholm Syndrome immediately came to her mind but she pushed it away.

With a curse she remembered that her cat had not been fed this morning. In all of the strange-man-in-her-bedroom chaos she had forgotten. She opened the cabinet and cursed again. No cat food. "I'm sorry baby. I'll go right out and get it." Of course that turned out to be an overstatement as her phone rang while she was gathering her discarded things. She picked up and said an angry greeting.

"Well hello to you too. I'm the one that should be pissed seeing as to you ditched me last night." Kelly's irritated snap came through the receiver. Rin sighed and immediately felt like crap.

"I'm sorry Kel there was just, a lot going on."

"I've been calling you all day. Did you go home with David?"

"What?" Rin nearly shrieked in surprise. "No. I actually ran in to Mr. Taisho and he took me home." There was a moment of silence before a giddy squeal made her pull away from the phone.

"Oh my god! Tell me everything right now. Is he as good looking without his clothes on? Is his hair naturally that color? Oh my god, oh my god Rin I can't believe you slept with him! You are such a little slut." She giggled. Rin sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.

"I didn't say I slept with him Kelly I said he brought me home." Kelly groaned.

"Please tell me you did not just send him home?" When Rin didn't answer she huffed. "At least tell me you kissed him." Rin thought about it. She had kissed him but not until this morning. "Rin?" Kelly asked the playful tone returning to her voice.

"Well…" The high pitched squeal returned. Why her friend was so delighted at her less than savory conduct was a mystery.

"I knew it! Tell me tell me tell me." Rin couldn't help but laugh at Kelly's exuberance.

"Why do you want to know so badly? I mean I was pretty out of it. Definitely had too much to drink."

"Please there is no such thing. And I want to know because he's like way fine and the most eligible bachelor on the east coast." Okay that was a serious exaggeration. Well about the eligible bachelor part anyway.

"Well it was nice."

"Nice?" Her friend sounded disappointed and frustrated all at once.

"Yeah. He's really intense and possessive. I felt like I was just getting swept away but the kissing was definitely nice."

"So when are you going to see him again?"

"Oh uh…" Tonight if he had his way, which he probably would. "I don't really know." She lied instead. Last thing she needed was Kelly 'accidentally' interrupting her chance at answers from Sesshomaru. Kelly sighed.

"You should call him. Tomorrow obviously you don't want to seem needy but still. Give him a call and tell him you want to thank him for being so gentlemanly." She giggled while Rin bristled. She was just about at her limit with people telling her what to do.

"Hey, Kel, I just realized I'm out of cat food and Amenet is pouting something fierce. Can I give you a call back when I get home? It's just a quick run, ten, fifteen minutes?"

"Sure, sure. Then we'll plot your wardrobe! Oh god Rin, I am so happy for you. I will so show you how to catch this guy." She was glad her friend couldn't see the glower that contorted her face.

"Sounds good. Bye." She hung up after that not wanting to hear whatever man catching rhetoric she was going to be subjected to. She wasn't even sure she _wanted_ to catch Sesshomaru. She sighed and apologized to the cat as she weaved between her ankles. "I know, I know. I'm going." She left her apartment and took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. The market was only a block away so she could zip in and out real quick. Since she was there though she might as well pick up milk and some food. Her refrigerator was starting to look a little bare and she needed some fuel. Her assignment for her art class was due in two weeks and she had yet to think of an original idea for it. Rin was one of those people born with the gift to see the art in everything around her and hear the music in the ambient sounds of life. Seeing as to she wasn't all that great at playing instruments and far too shy to sing for others she'd settled on following her passion for art.

The only problem was in school you had deadlines. They wanted you to be creative but they wanted it done by a certain time and that was hard for her. The ideas came when they wanted to and there was really no rushing them. She observed the labels of the food in the market while she browsed for what she wanted, hoping against hope that the brilliant idea would suddenly emerge from her subconsciousness. It didn't, not that she'd really expected it to, but she was disappointed all the same. She smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the teenage clerk and then exited the store into the bright sun. With a happy smile she breathed deep the fresh city air. Not exactly fresh really but not too terrible today. She started the walk back to her apartment with a lighter step. She could figure all of this craziness out. It was just a setback and all she needed was to get back on track. Painting was a great way to clear her mind and even if it amounted to nothing she would still have worked through her inner turmoil. She nodded to herself and walked a little faster. "My, you seem to be in a good mood." That sickly seductive voice froze her midstep. She turned slowly to see the man from the diner leaning in the shadows near the alleyway. If possible he looked even paler than he had a few hours ago. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier."

"That's ok. You were busy with Mr. Taisho." She tried to smile knowing it looked as fake as it felt. Her heart was hammering in her chest causing her throat to constrict. She started to take another step and keep going when she heard an amused chuckle from the creepy man.

"Come here girl." Her body turned toward the man against her will. What was happening to her? She may not have been Ivy League material but she was not so dumb as to walk down an alley with a stranger who gave her the heebie jeebies. Hell she wasn't really into alleys at all for that matter. Yet here she was, staring in open eyed shock as her feet moved towards him. She fought them, narrowing her entire field of focus until she was pouring all of energy into standing still. Once she halted he frowned and she felt something wash over her. Sickly and thick like smog it enveloped her and caused her to lurch forward again. She fought more and succeeded in only shuffling her feet so that she was weaving unsteadily as her body went towards him. "That's it. Very good. Now, where were we?"

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, was for once supremely grateful for his soundproof office. After he had returned from depositing Rin safely at her apartment he had proceeded to inform Jaken of his manifold failures over the past few days. The imp had of course immediately prostrated himself and set in with the whining apologies. Sesshomaru had passed irritated and then pissed and was now firmly seated in enraged. He paced, needing an outlet for his frustration besides maiming his servant. Now he had to deal with a demon in his territory. It was odd how he was starting to get excited. Feelings he hadn't had for years were now coming back to him in a rush. The need to be dominant. The need to fight. The excitement at finding someone to fight with. In fact he could now safely vent all of his anger, frustration, and loneliness. Not to mention get him away from that girl for a while.

He still couldn't believe he'd kissed her. True she'd initiated it but hadn't said no or stopped it now had he. Not until after he'd marked her anyway. Damn it he was a basket case. All up in his head and worrying all the time about stupid humans and they're stupid rules. Wouldn't they all laugh at him now, the demons he had laid to waste in his quest to be the best. Now he had another to add to his list of conquered and he wasn't a fool. The extra little edge of anger he felt towards the demon in question was for threatening what was his. Even if he wasn't really sure that was what he wanted necessarily, she was his until he decided otherwise. So long as she wasn't near him clouding his judgment and making him act so completely irrationally of course.

He stilled himself, finally landing on a plan and in that finding a measure of peace. Jaken had been reduced to whimpers and trembling with his forehead pressed into the carpet. The perfect subservient bow. It made Sesshomaru gnash his teeth together before speaking. "That's quite enough Jaken. You have duties to attend to." The little toad raised his wide blinking eyes and started in with the gratitude. Sesshomaru pegged him with a hard look and for once the little man shut up. He scampered out of the office and disappeared from his sight. Sesshomaru sat at his desk with a purpose. He would call the girl and inform her that he would be out of town for the time being and Jaken would look in on her. And Jaken would look in on her or Sesshomaru would skin him alive.

He picked up the phone and dialed her number from memory. Not that he'd called but he'd seen it in the computer file he'd found her address in. The phone rang and rang. He hung up and frowned at the telephone. Technology was not exactly his favorite thing but he was sure he had done everything correctly. He waited another minute figuring she was probably just out of reach of the phone for the moment and then dialed again. Same result. His frown deepened into a glower as two possible reasons for this presented themselves. One, she was ignoring his phone calls or all phone calls in general assuming one of them might be him. Two, she was out of the house after he had expressly told her to stay there. Knowing her, it was most likely the latter. He growled and stood up so fast his chair went skittering into the wall. Fine, he would tell her face to face after he gave her a thorough tongue lashing about being responsible.

He gathered his power and dematerialized, retaking form in her apartment. Once again he was reduced to sniffing out her trail and tracking her down. This of course only exacerbated his already foul mood. He found her scent easily enough and followed it inconspicuously out the door and down the stairwell. He should find a way to drink her blood so he could find her much more easily whenever he needed to. He shook his head at that thought and clamped down the territorial urges she'd awakened in him. He had no interest in all of that. Never had. He was angry at having his orders disobeyed so flagrantly, nothing more. He exited the building and followed her scent down the street and saw another one of the establishments in which humans got their food. That must have been where she was heading. He warred with himself trying to decide whether showing up randomly again where she was without explanation was such a good plan or not when he lost the scent. Or rather it faded.

He frowned and turned back to where it was stronger. She must have already gone and then walked back but it was at its most recent in a random spot in the street. He looked around but didn't see her anywhere. He did however see a darkened alley way. He began a mental tirade at the stupidity of humans as he turned towards the alley following her ever strengthening scent. He was going to sit her down and explain the definition of 'staying put' and 'safety' the minute he caught up with her. What was she thinking just gallivanting down a dark alley where no one could see her or hear her? It was beyond stupid it was… He stopped as another scent overtook hers. Dead rotting flesh. His lips were back off his fangs and he was growling before he realized it. He wanted to believe that she wasn't with that demon, that it was only evidence of him watching her from the shadows. But her scent disappeared with his at the end of the alleyway. There was no way out except back the way she'd come and she obviously hadn't done that.

He frowned and growled some more while trying to decide the best manner in which to find them. Flesh demon's didn't posses great translocation abilities so he could not have gone far. The city however was large and he could waste the rest of the day and half the night looking for her. He could always track the lesser demon's magic. There would be a trail of it as all magic users left one. It was unavoidable. He cut off the growl and dropped his glamour spell on himself so he could use the full extent of senses. The smells and sounds of the city flooded over him from all directions. It had been a long time since he had let go and stood in his true human form. He flexed his claws and ran a hand over the smooth lines of his clothing feeling once more the different fibers woven together. He stopped and made himself focus on the task.

The trail of magic was sloppy and easy to sense. Even easier to follow. He'd taken her east and not very far by the looks of it. Sesshomaru gathered his power and followed the trail. He materialized in a dense thicket of trees and frowned. At least it was well concealed. He immediately threw his glamour spell back into place and then reached out as far as his senses could go in this muddled form. His ears picked up a pain filled moan from Rin and his body began to tremble. "I see he's marked you, clever dog. No matter. I assume its going to hurt you more than me." There was a dark chuckle and then a grunt of pain from him. The sound of a slap rang through the clearing Sesshomaru was now moving towards as fast as he could manage. "Don't make me break you, girl. You're just another human to me. Now, where to put it." There was silence and the sound of hard breathing from Rin. The closer he got the more he could smell her. Mixed in were the salty smell of tears and the rusty smell of blood. "Ah, there will be perfect." Sesshomaru closed on them just as Rin's pain filled scream resounded through the clearing. "Just in time. I do _so_ love an audience." The flesh demon turned glowing green eyes to Sesshomaru who was now crouched down and growling. He was going to burn the filth to ash for this.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger but here is another chapter by way of apology. Enjoy! *Ack! Sorry it wasn't me I swear! I had major internet probs this past week. Finally fixed so here you go!***

Arinna had never been in this much pain in her life. The slap surprisingly had not hurt that much. Of course the tussle to get to the ground had been quite a fight and the result had ended with her head painfully connecting to the ground so perhaps it was all relative. However, when he'd drawn a blade down the center of her chest excruciatingly slow, _that_ was definitely the height of the current pain cocktail. Then he'd been distracted and apparently they now had an audience. While that should have released her from the torment, it only created more. He placed one finger inside the wound he'd already created sending her screaming and thrashing. And then he was gone. Out of her field of vision and no longer touching her. She heard growls and snapping jaws and wondered if her savior was someone's dog. That would be just her luck.

With some serious difficulty she managed to press her sweater against the chest wound and rolled onto her side. Her eyes popped wide and she fought the urge to shriek. Squaring off against the man who had spent the last ten to fifteen minutes torturing her was none other than Sesshomaru Taisho. Of all people. What did she have some kind of homing device on her that only he could read? The growling and snapping seemed to be coming from him. The other man was taunting him but the words weren't registering in her brain. A clear sign of just how badly she was hurt. But she couldn't turn her attention away from the altercation in the clearing. She felt her skin break into a sweat but she didn't feel hot, another sign of bad health but again she ignored it. The two men weren't actually swinging at each other or even moving from their stances but it was clearly an intense battle of wills.

Then she felt it. The faint brush of something unseen against her exposed arms and lower legs. She struggled to move her head enough to see what had touched her but her body seemed unwilling to obey her. Her stomach rolled and she felt like she just might vomit and yet moving was clearly not going to happen. She felt her heart race as the panic set in. Her limbs were starting to go cold and then fade away. She couldn't feel her fingertips or her toes anymore. Blinking rapidly and trying to calm down she had a moment of pure disorientation where up was down and inside was outside, then it settled. Standing in the clearing was now a much larger version of the man who had taken her from the alley and a giant white dog. Ok she was clearly into the hallucinatory stage. She wondered when she would pass out when the dog lunged at the man too fast for her eyes to track.

Inexplicably the man wasn't there when the dog landed. She was clearly losing time here. Nothing moved that fast and especially not anything that large. As if there even was anything that large. She felt cold air hit her chest as her hands numbed out and she lost her grip on the sweater. Incapable of maintaining pressure on the wound she was certainly going to bleed out now. She watched as the giant dog snapped its head towards her and narrowed blood red eyes the size of her fist. The man took the opportunity to try a cheap shot but the dog moved lithely out of the way, whirling to enclose its massive jaws on the man's neck. Rin felt her eyes widening again and her body was beginning to shake uncontrollably. The numbness was gaining speed as it crept its way up her arms and legs. The dog growled loud enough to shake the earth beneath her, or maybe her body was doing that? Then it shook its head roughly, twice, until a sickening crack resounded through the clearing. The man in its jaws stopped thrashing and then crumpled to the ground unmoving as the dog opened its jaws.

She closed her eyes trying to control her spasms when she felt the ground shake again and then heard a loud sniffing. Fear overrode the pain and she opened them again to be confronted by the large rubies now dreadfully close to her face. There was a soft high pitched noise, like a whine, emanating from the titanic creature now lying on the ground beside her. One massive paw was pressed right next to her face, close enough so the fur was tickling her cheek. Soft white fur that smelt a little like something rotting but then again that was probably her open chest wound. She tried to rock her body enough to get a hand on all of that softness but in doing so she caused another round of mass distortion. When she stilled and the world righted itself once again, she was no longer looking at her hallucinated dog friend but the wide golden eyes of Sesshomaru. He was down on his haunches, balancing effortlessly on the balls of his feet and staring down at her with an impassive face. She tried to say thank you for the attempt at least but the only sound that came out was a gurgling noise. Finally her eyes drifted shut and pleasant numbing blackness took the place of all that pain. She didn't even care she was dying at that point.

Sesshomaru stared down at Rin as she thrashed around clearly no longer in control of her body. The flesh demon's poison had spread far enough to where the poor girl had lost consciousness. It was almost too late. He felt odd as he stared down at her. She'd seen him change into his full demon form. Her eyes had been right on him as he'd snapped the lesser demon's neck with his jaws. She hadn't flinched. She hadn't taken her eyes from him. She was no doubt paralyzed by the toxins in her blood which did put a damper on the whole running away in fear but she hadn't _seemed_ afraid. In all of his crazy overactive lonely mental ramblings he'd never have hoped for that. How could she not be afraid of what he was? Humans in this century were bizarre in their faith for sure but they were blindingly intolerant of that which they didn't understand. She most certainly would not understand the world he had come from.

He frowned as his eyes focused on the mark he'd given her. What a stupid thing that had been. Look at all the trouble she'd caused for him. He should just let her die. It was the best thing, for him and for her. Demons would target her now to get to him and there was no taking that back. Besides, without her he could get back to his life. Boring and tedious though it was. He wasn't even sure if he _could _save her. Using his own poison to burn out the other was not necessarily a solution. He could just make the problem worse and end up killing her. There was no doubt in his mind that his toxin was stronger. It was however a chance and the only one she had. He spent another moment or two watching the color fade from her skin before he growled and snapped his jaws in frustration. She was ridiculously light as he slid his hands under her neck and knees then lifted her from the ground. Once safely in his arms he gathered his power around him and left the clearing. He didn't bother to check the corpse he left behind, he would send Jaken for it later.

He rematerialized inside Rin's apartment, setting her down carefully on her bed. Her skin was cold and getting colder by the minute. He had a flash of thought that he should probably have gotten the imp to undress the girl before he ran a clawed finger down the seam of her dress and dumped the tatters in a heap on the floor. Then again, he probably wouldn't have let the little toad undress her either. The wound was pumping blood out that looked more like engine grease and had the consistency of molasses. It certainly smelt vile. Not at all appetizing like the first wave of it had been in the clearing. He forced himself to turn away from those thoughts and instead hovered his extended claws over her chest. They began to glow with the green aura and he watched impatiently as the acid dripped slowly into the wound. The result was exactly what he expected.

Rin's eyes slammed open and her mouth followed suit prepared to let out a scream worthy of one of those ridiculous movies they called _horror_ in this era. He was too fast for her and clamped one hand over her mouth and then pressed the other arm across her shoulders, holding her down as her body fought to get away. He let another few drops of poison land on the gaping hole before reigning it back in. Then it was just a matter of overpowering this new voice in his head that was gaining volume as it informed him that he was hurting her and NEEDED to stop. It was his job to protect her not hurt her. He growled again and waited until she stopped bucking against him and lay still once more. He watched as her glazed brown eyes slowly closed and her breathing did as well. Panic flared but there was nothing more he could do. Except call Jaken and tell him to get rid of that body before someone found it. He was growling and pacing as he flipped open his phone and dialed his office.

The message he left for Jaken was short and not exactly pleasant. Never having been what anyone in their right mind would have described as cordial he was now into complete asshole mode. He still had the adrenaline from the fight coursing in his veins, his sense of indignation at being duped not once but twice by that lowly flesh demon, and this new voice in his head that would not give him a moments rest. It wanted, no needed, to know what she was doing at all times and where she was. No matter how close he let himself get to her it was never enough for this new part of him. It wanted more. Always. He frowned again and stared out the window. There was a reason he didn't like humans. Actually there were several. They were a short lived, unimpressive, completely chaotic and downright smelly race. They often reminded him of insects the way they clambered about noisily before they perished.

They also seemed to be cursed by an overwhelming herd mentality. On occasion there were a few who stood out but not often. He had never understood how his own father had become so enthralled by one. Even now he didn't truly understand though he was beginning to see how it was possible. Inutaisho had been the Great Dog Demon, Overlord of the West. It was quite a shadow to be born under. Sesshomaru had never had any interest in the title but had wanted to distinguish himself in the demon world. Once his father, and then his half breed brother, had fallen for the tragically stupid humans he had made it his mission not to follow in their footsteps. Of course there had been Rin. Something about her had touched something in him he didn't understand. She wasn't like the rest of the huddled masses. He glanced over his shoulder at this new version of the girl he used to travel with and was catapulted into the memories of the last time he'd seen her.

_ He'd known she was dying for months. He could smell with ease what her subtle human brain would take much more time to point out to her. Though with the last visit he had sensed that it was coming quickly. The slow process of decay had increased in speed until finally it had brought her here to these last few moments. Her mate had passed from the world long before which had left Sesshomaru free to visit her as soon as night fell once again. He'd never been far away but he had given them their privacy. As he looked down into the face of his Rin he was momentarily confused. In such a short time she had changed from the innocent little girl in the forest to this ancient woman wise with knowledge and experience. Her face was lined with wrinkles and little wisps of hair as white as his trailed across her face._

_ He'd sat with her, listening to her heart beating slower and slower as the end drew near. His first irrational thought was he wasn't ready to let her go. He blinked several times as his eyes bored into her sleeping face, trying to find something. It was so frustrating to want to know something but have no idea what that something was. Some inner sense was telling him she had the answer. Then her eyes fluttered open and found his. A smile spread her dry lips and made the wrinkles around her eyes more pronounced. "So handsome." She said with a happy sigh. Her voice had changed as she aged. Growing lower and huskier and now it had the slightest of shakes to it. He reached out with one clawed finger and lifted a lock of her hair. Even though it was colorless now it was still as soft as ever. He let the strands fall from his grasp to rest on the floor again. "I knew you'd be here. I'm glad." She was always glad to see him. Which never made any sense to him but she never seemed inclined to explain. "I wanted to thank you." He raised an eyebrow at her. "For the life you gave me. I don't think I ever thanked you." She smiled again and he heard her breath rattling in her lungs._

_ "You have no regrets?" She ghosted another smile and raised a feeble shaking hand to clutch her robes._

_ "I have regrets but not about that." He waited to make sure she was going to be able to answer his question before asking it. _

_ "What do you regret?" His pride tinged at the thought that she had wanted something and he hadn't provided it for her. She sighed deeply and he frowned again thinking she wasn't going to answer him. Then she took a breath and her eyelids fluttered._

_ "I would have stayed with you." She said quietly. _

_ "There is no place for a human in my world."_

_ "And there is no place for you in mine, but I still would have stayed." Her eyes focused on him clearly and she frowned. "I worry about you."_

_ "Hn." That was just ridiculous. She had no need to worry over him and he had never been able to break her of the habit._

_ "Kagome told me once…that there are no demons where she comes from. I'm worried about you. All alone." Her eyes started to fill with tears and he felt his own widen briefly. No demons in five hundred years? He reached forward and ran his forefinger claw along her cheek._

_ "Be at peace, little Rin. This Sesshomaru is not a cause for your concern." She smiled at him and seemed about to say something else when her heart stuttered in her chest and then went silent. Her breath left on that one final rush leaving him alone with her corpse for some time. He just couldn't fathom a world without demons._

He sighed loudly, once again in the real world. Looking out over the city skyline with all of its hundreds of lit windows he recalled that feeling so well. No he never in a million years would have pictured a world like this. Rin had left him to guard her descendants and he had. Though over the years there had been so many and he had needed to acclimate himself to this new technology. And now here he was, in the same position just a different time. He was bordering on losing her again listening to her soft breathing and slow heart beats. He moved back to stand by her bedside and watched her chest rise and fall under the covers, the effort seeming to take a lot out of her. She was Rin but she wasn't at the same time.

The present Rin struggled in her sleep and began to moan. He was about to pull back the covers and check the wound when her eyes opened slowly to reveal those deep brown eyes. He went still as she focused on him and blinked. Great.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: Okay, I cave. I suck at updating and I apologize. Thank you for all of the reviews and adds for this story. I promise I am not ditching it. Anyways here you go. **

Arinna awoke and found her eyes locking instantly with Sesshomaru's golden orbs. So it was either all a dream, which still presented the problem of him in her bedroom, or it wasn't all a dream and he was back in her bedroom again after having saved her, somehow, again. She was betting on the latter as her body felt like Jello. Painful Jello. The man in question did not seem inclined to speak, what a shock. With a sigh that ached on its way out she closed her eyes and then waited a full sixty seconds before opening them again. Yup he was still there. Hadn't moved or changed at all. For the first time it struck her that he was really different. The eyes, the hair, the body, the manner of speech. It was just all very strange and not just in the foreign sense. She felt her face frown slightly as she studied him. "Water?" She croaked. Now it was his turn to frown and then he was gone. She heard some banging around in the kitchen and then the faucet got turned on. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath but must've fallen asleep because when she opened them he was right there again.

"Drink." He commanded with the cup held out. She rolled her eyes but complied. It felt good sliding down her parched throat so she drank it all. She started to struggle to sit when his hand darted out, too fast to track and exerted dead weight on her shoulder. "Lie still." She sighed loudly but he ignored it.

"Ok, I want the truth. The honest truth and it would be fantastic if I didn't have to pull it out of you." She gave him an 'I mean it' stare to which he was unfazed. "Did that man from the restaurant kidnap me?"

"Yes."

"Did he take me to the park and cut open my chest?" Sesshomaru's eyes turned amber but he nodded. "Did you come and rescue me?" He nodded again, a quick jerk of his head. She sighed and looked up at her star spangled ceiling. "Why?"

"I don't know." She frowned. That was better than one word but it was still irritatingly vague. She turned her eyes back to him and found him still perched on the edge of her bed staring down at her.

"Why did he take me?"

"To challenge me." Sesshomaru replied after a moment of consideration.

"Challenge you?" That made very little sense in the modern world. Perhaps these guys were role players or something?

"He entered my territory without permission and proceeded to take what he perceived as my…property." Property was the better word choice? She let her frown sink into a glare. When no more information was forthcoming she huffed.

"Are you guys like role players or something?" Sesshomaru frowned.

"I am unfamiliar with this concept."

"Its people who play a game and pretend to be someone in a fantastical world…oh never mind. Look this whole territory and property thing is whack. I would like a real explanation if it's not too much trouble."

"This Sesshomaru has already answered your question and he will not repeat himself."

"Like that, right there, why do refer to yourself in the third person but only sometimes?"

"This is the manner of speaking that is natural to me."

"You are so strange." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? Okay, your eyes are golden, which is rare but not unheard of; your hair is white which is just strange for someone clearly in his late twenties, you talk weird, you walk with a grace that's actually pretty unnerving and you just show up whenever I need you. How do you do that by the way?" She watched his face shut off from the tiny little bit of emotion it was betraying at her outburst. "I am grateful that you saved my life, again, but I want to know why and how. If you don't want to tell me that's fine but if you can't be straight with me I don't want to know you." She watched his mouth quirk ever so slightly at the corner as if he wanted to smile but was fighting it.

"Be straight with you?"

"Answer my question." She said with another glower.

"I didn't hear one."

"How do you know I need saving and where I am?"

"If you had done as I said and stayed put you wouldn't have needed saving." He said in a frosty tone. She waited in demanding silence for the answer to the rest of the question. "I followed your path from the house to where you were." She glowered at him further.

"That man from the diner, what is he?" She asked quietly. She knew she was probably going to get ridiculed but she had to ask.

"A demon, as am I." She felt her eyes widen and blink several times. Her mouth opened and then closed as she tried to figure out what to say.

"A demon?" He nodded. She looked him over again carefully. Sure he looked different but not really _demonic._ Although, maybe they were supposed to be beautiful? "You don't look like a demon."

"This is my glamoured form." As if that was supposed to answer all her questions much less make sense.

"Glamour? Is that like a spell?"

"Yes." She took a deep breath and then blew it out forcefully, puffing up her cheeks.

"Okay, say I believe you for like a minute, what do you really look like?"

"A demon." He said simply. Her heart was pounding fast as she considered the next course of action. It was only logical after all. If he insisted he was supernatural she needed proof.

"Show me."

Sesshomaru stared at the girl with utter shock. Was she insane? Not only had she managed to wring out the confession of what he really was but now she wanted to see? Besides, she already had. She'd seen his true form in the clearing and watched as he'd ended the filth that had hurt her. She was waiting for his response though. What was he going to say? Damnit he should have just let her die. "Sesshomaru?" At her voice his body stilled. Completely. And there was that irritating internal voice again. Pointing out that it was far too drafty in this place and she needed more water, probably some food too. The voice also wanted to do whatever she asked, regardless of the fact that if he did so she would probably faint. Though perhaps not. She was strong. She'd given him an ultimatum just minutes earlier after all.

He rose from her bed without ceremony and backed away so he was fully in the fading light from the window. He took a long inhale of her scent, perfectly ready to never smell it again, and then dropped his glamour. His logical brain was screaming at him that as far as bad plans went, this was right up there with leaving the Tetusaiga to Inuyasha. The new other side of him was nearly jumping with joy. He watched as Rin's eyes widened again and her mouth fell open. She dropped those brown saucers to his feet and slowly ascended his body without blinking. He felt oddly self conscious as she drank in the sight of him like that. However her expression was completely blank. What was she thinking? "This is what you really look like?"

"In my human form." He corrected. He watched her brows knit together and the anger flood into her eyes.

"I want to see what you really look like."

"My demonic form would not fit in this house Rin." He could tell she was still angry but she was surprised again. Maybe her brain really didn't work right. Normally humans should be running and screaming right now. His clawed fingers were loose at his sides but even his demon markings were visible to her.

"Will you come closer?" She asked softly. Before he could respond she was struggling to sit up with a wince. He flashed over to her side forgetting, again, that he should really be giving her space to assimilate all of the information he was shoving at her. She seemed startled that he was so close but she just reached out one trembling hand to trace the marks on his arm. He couldn't help the surprise that flooded his face. She definitely wasn't wired the same as the rest of them. That was the only explanation. Yet here she was, gently touching his human form and here he was not pulling away. He didn't even want to. He was actually enjoying this. Her feathery light touch made its way down his arm to his fingers clearly heading for the claws. He went to pull them back when her eyes flipped up to his asking permission. So he stayed still while she took his hand and felt the sharp edges of his claws and examined them closely. "I'll admit you don't look entirely human but you don't look like what I thought a demon would look like either."

"The human form is intended to allow me to blend in more easily." She nodded and then gently tugged on his arm. Still feeling like this couldn't possibly be happening he acquiesced and sat down on the edge of her bed. Giving her convenient access to his face. Which she promptly brought her still trembling hand up to and traced the markings on his cheeks and then the crescent on his forehead.

"What does your other form look like?" He stared at her eyes as she carefully touched every inch of his face.

"A dog." She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him.

"A dog?"

"I am a dog demon." She blinked a couple of times and then smiled.

"A big dog then?" He nodded. "Like Clifford?"

"I am unfamiliar with this Clifford." Her smile got wider and he got the sense she was teasing him.

"Clifford the big red dog. It's a children's book with this dog that's bigger than the houses." Well the utterly simplistic description fit except for the red part. The dog in the story was probably friendly as well.

"I am not red." He answered somewhat stiffly. He was slightly mollified when she made a very obvious effort to control her amusement at his expense. Well she tried anyway. As soon as she spied his _mokomoko_ her eyes widened again and the smile returned.

"Is that you're tail?"

"No." He felt the absurd urge to stick his tongue out at the girl. He was not amusing by any means and he certainly wasn't going to sit here and let a _human_ girl of all things laugh at him.

"Can I touch it?" His eyes snapped back to hers and narrowed. She was still mocking him but not as much. "Hey if it's not cool that's ok. I was just curious."

"Hn." It was the only reply he could think of. She was making him angry with all of this condescension but her skin on his was far from unpleasant. She seemed to take this as a 'go ahead' and gently stroked the fur. He was surprised by how good the simple action felt and even more so by the impulse to curl around her and let her pet his hair like that. He frowned and shook his head since she wasn't watching. That internal voice of his needed to take a vacation. A permanent one.

"It's so soft." Her voice was actually incredulous. She kept up the petting for a little while longer and he was about to say something when she beat him to it. "Okay, you win. You're a demon." How was that winning? He hadn't realized there had been a competition going on.

"You need to rest." As if in response her eyelids started to droop.

"I have more questions." He fought the urge to growl at her.

"Such as?"

"Do you have any super powers?" For one disorienting moment he was stuck between the present and the past. Both versions of the same woman, both inquisitive beyond belief and looking at him with wide curious eyes. Not frightened though, never frightened.

"I suppose you could call them that. Lie back down." She did as he commanded so he pulled the blanket back up to her chin.

"What are they?" He struggled to find the apt words to describe his abilities.

"I am capable of translocation and the disguising the appearance of others as well as my own to suit my needs." She nodded and mouthed the word translocation. Then light sprung into her eyes and she nodded emphatically.

"You can teleport? How cool. Can I see?" He frowned down at her which only made her smile.

"You need to rest." She sighed but nodded.

"Am I going to be okay?" He didn't really know the answer to that question but he needed her to stop fighting him and just sleep.

"Yes." It wasn't _totally_ a lie after all. She seemed better. And if he and his new possessive irritating voice had anything to say about it she would be just fine.

"Will you stay?" She whispered with her eyes closed and she was clearly almost asleep already. He frowned thinking that humans were far too fragile and he had no idea how to heal her.

"Sleep." He commanded. The question was ridiculous and didn't deserve an answer. Had he not already proven, repeatedly, that he was going to protect her whether or not either of them liked it? Still, he couldn't deny that he was pleased with the small smile that graced her lips before she really slipped into unconsciousness. He waited until her breathing evened out before he got up and exited her room so he could make a phone call without disturbing her. If he wasn't going to be able ignore the voice in his head he might as well do as it asked to make it quiet enough to think.

"M'lord?" Jaken's squeaky voice wasn't improved by the telephone.

"Prepare a guest room in the house, Jaken, and find me a doctor that will do as I say and not ask questions."

"Yes, milord, may I inquire as to whom…" Sesshomaru cut him off by snapping his phone shut. He peaked back in to the sleeping girl and realized he was about to make a messy situation even worse. But staying away from her clearly wasn't a viable option so what was he to do? _I would've stayed._ The Rin from his memory haunted his current thoughts. _We'll see._


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for all of your wonderful comments and adds. It makes me smile to know that you like my story **** Here is another chapter and yay! More fluff **** Enjoy.**

Arinna struggled to open her eyes and found the light in her room was thankfully dim. Although, it was filtering in through some sort of dark gauzy fabric and she had breezy white curtains. She opened her eyes wider and would've jumped in shock but she felt too weak. Instead she let out a startled gasp. She wasn't in her room at all. The dark fabric was drapes that were pulled closed around a gigantic excuse for a bed. She must look really small stuck smack dab in the middle of it like she was. She turned in the bed and counted the pillows. Yup there were fourteen of them. Oversized fluffy and propping her up so she was reclining peacefully. They were all covered in the same ridiculously soft fabric, she knew because she was caressing each and every one, done in shades of blue. The sinfully delightful comforter draped over the sheets which felt silky to her legs was also blue.

The sound of a door opening froze her in place like a rabbit in headlights. Sure the bed and the pillows were great but that hadn't told her where she was or what she was doing there. Last time she had magically woken up somewhere strange a fair amount of pain and blood had followed. Her hand went to her chest on its own and clutched the folds of…what was she wearing? She looked down to see her body lost in a large shirt of some kind. Probably some guy's shirt. Okay that wasn't helping the panic. "Good you're awake." A high squeaky voice that was vaguely familiar jarred her from her thoughts and moved closer to the bed. There was a tiny shadow moving across the drapes but it was so small. She reasoned he must have been standing farther away then he sounded. "Lazy girl." The squeaky voice muttered and she heard another door opening.

She was torn between asking where she was and just feigning the knowledge until the man went away. Then she could make a break for it. She was still weighing her options when the voice came again, this time louder and closer. "Are you still unwell?" He sounded more irritated than concerned but if she didn't answer he might just open the drapes.

"I'm fine."

"Good. Lord Sesshomaru will be pleased." Sesshomaru? Well that helped with the why at least. Although, this was probably his house or something. She felt her eyes widen as she took in the expanse of the bed and lavish coverings that surrounded her. She knew he was rich but, _damn._ All of a sudden her memories slammed home, like a light switch being turned on. She remembered being in her room with Sesshomaru. He'd told her he was a demon of all things. A dog demon. He could smell her and follow that scent wherever she was. Then he'd shown her what he really looked like and let her touch him. Was that real or just a dream brought on by the pain? "You need to get up Rin. The doctor informed us that once you were able to, moving around would be beneficial." The fact that this stranger knew her name was unnerving but she let is slide. It was fairly reasonable to assume that Sesshomaru had told his servant or whatever this man was so that she would feel more comfortable. Or something.

"How long have I been here?"

"Three days. You were very ill when Lord Sesshomaru brought you here. You should remember to thank him when you see him as he's done a great service for you. You, a human!" The voice continued to mutter to itself but the words were drowned out by the sliding open and then firm shutting of drawers. "Are you going to get out of that bed lazy girl?" The high pitched voice was definitely irritated now. She disliked being referred to as 'girl' considering she was in her twenties. She frowned at the little shadow as it stood still, no doubt glaring right back.

"Yes."

"Well?"

"I'm not dressed." She said with exasperation. The little shadow was quiet for a moment. "I need a shower too if you could point a hand in the direction."

"The bathroom is adjacent through the door over there." She watched as a tiny shadow arm pointed out the door she couldn't see. "You will find towels and everything you need in there. I will be just outside the door if you need anything." She waited until the door was firmly closed to scoot to the edge of the bed and then tentatively draw back some of the drapes. The room she was in was just as opulent as the bed and she took a moment to just drink in the sight. Her mouth was slightly open at the sheer volume of splendor assaulting her. He really knew how to live up that wealth of his. She set one barefoot down and felt it sink into the plush carpet. Ok it was nice and pretty and all but it was also starting to get on her nerves. Did anyone really _need_ all this crap?

Still she needed a shower. So she padded her way over in the direction the shadow had pointed and found the surprisingly simple door made of some dark wood. Against the opulence of the room it looked kind of out of place. The bathroom however was more of the same. There was even a whirlpool tub in there. She eyed it with serious intent but the shower was more important. There was no need to take advantage of his hospitality besides, she still felt uneasy on her feet and drained. Probably not the best time to be using a hot tub. So she sighed but stripped down and climbed into the pleasantly warm shower. The scar on her chest was hideous. She could feel it start just below her collar bone and then flow in a straight line to end just below her breasts. It was also a dark angry pink but she had a feeling that would fade with time. The scar however would not.

She washed her hair with some fancy smelling shampoo she didn't recognize and then her body with more of the same. It smelt good at least. When she was done she wrapped herself in a king sized towel that felt almost as soft as the comforter had. She dried her hair and then looked around for some sort of clothing. Well more so than the man sized shirt she had taken off and had been in for who knew how long. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of a stranger undressing and then redressing her. Although the idea that it might have been Sesshomaru was not as unpleasant. She shook her head as if to shake the thoughts away. _Get a grip Rin that is trouble you don't need._ Just because a man is nice did not make him interested. She spied a large garnet robe and nearly giggled with appreciation. It was enormous so it definitely covered all of her which was what she was going for.

She cautiously opened the door again and made her way back into the room. There was some kind of flimsy dress laid out on an ottoman that she supposed was intended for her to wear. She took one look at the thing and frowned. Yeah right was she wearing that frilly thing anywhere. She decided to look around and see if she couldn't find something slightly more appropriate to wear. Of course, what was she going to do? Obviously thanking Sesshomaru was at the top of her list but three days? She had people to call who were no doubt frantic by now. And school! Her project was going to be late. She rummaged through the armoire, trying to dislodge as little as possible but that wasn't exactly easy. "Did you need something?" The high squeaky voice was behind her.

"Oh it's just I wasn't all that comfortable with the dress and I thought maybe there was something…" She turned around just at that moment and stared in open mouthed shock. Before her was a tiny little…well person didn't really cover it. He was green with large eyes and a long triangular looking face. He was dressed in some sort of old fashioned robe with a hat. He was leaning heavily on a staff that came up to her shoulders and staring up at her with a clear expression of anger. She could do nothing but stare.

"You thought there was something what you inquisitive human?" The high squeaky voice…it was coming from this, thing whatever he was. She couldn't have stifled the scream if she had wanted to.

Sesshomaru's head turned toward the sound the instant Rin's scream echoed through the halls. He was out of his seat and around his desk a second later when he decided that the stairs would take too long. He gathered his power and sent his molecules speeding off toward the guest room where he had deposited the girl. The scene that was laid out before him was confusing at first. Jaken was standing in front of the closet trying to pry open the door that wouldn't budge. He was also missing his staff. Sesshomaru stood completely still and tuned out the imp's voice as he yelled at Rin to open the door. The sound of her frantic heartbeat was definitely coming from inside the closet. It was so fast he could've danced to it, if he had ever been inclined to dance that was. "Jaken." His voice caused the imp to cease immediately and then fall to the floor weeping.

"I'm sorry my Lord. I swear I didn't mean to! I don't even know what I did! For no reason at all she just screamed and took my staff! Now she won't come out. I tried milord I really did." Jaken proceeded to whimper and explain while Sesshomaru stepped closer.

"That's enough Jaken." The imp stopped wailing and moved after Sesshomaru stepped over him. Sesshomaru stared at the door for a moment trying to decide what to do. If he just wrenched the thing open he would snap Jaken's staff. He could possibly frighten the girl more and that was simply out of the question. "Rin." He spoke to the door feeling foolish and getting frustrated by it.

"Sesshomaru?" A tiny muffled version of the girl's voice wafted back to him. The quiver of fear had the new side of Sesshomaru's psyche deciding which way was best to slaughter his servant.

"Open this door." He waited to hear any sound of movement from within the closet and let out a frustrated growl when none came. "Do as I say Rin."

"Is that green thing still out there?" She answered back, slightly less scared but clearly not moving. He repressed the urge to smile at the indignant squawk from 'that green thing' who was now standing on the far side of the room. He was about to demand that she open the room when he heard her moving. It sounded like she was coming closer so he tried his best to be patient. When he could feel the heat radiating from her body and the smell of shampoo and fear wafted out through the cracks he struggled to keep himself from ripping the door of the hinges. Patience had never really been among his virtues anyway. So slowly it was almost agonizing she inched the door open only to find him staring down at her with frustration. She blinked once and then slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and dropping the staff in the process. He was so startled by it that he didn't have time to keep her from doing it.

Then his body got with the program and moving her seemed like the very worst thing he could think of. Her face was pressed into his chest and he could feel her breath as she trembled against him. Jaken was however still in the room so he kept himself still. Bad enough he was losing his mind he didn't need witnesses. She picked her head up after several minutes of just cleaving to him sending the smell of the shampoo she'd used crashing over him. "I just…it was…and then…" Her mouth seemed to be trying to speak but her brain was pausing it. Her gaze drifted past his arm and then her eyes widened and her hand gripped his bicep hard. He didn't have time to process the pleasure the sensation gave him because her heart was hammering in fear again.

"Jaken." The little imp started forward at his command which caused her to shrink back and then stop. She looked at Jaken and then up at Sesshomaru and then back. She was afraid of Jaken? Of all the ridiculous things he had seen from this human girl so far, this took the top easily. She'd seen him in full demon form and in his actual human form. Nothing but curiosity. Now when confronted with the imp she cowered and trembled with fear. He felt himself frown and then sigh softly.

"Do you…know that?"

"I am Lord Sesshomaru's servant girl! And my _name_ is Jaken." Sesshomaru watched Rin take that in with wide fear filled eyes. She was calmer though and that was good. She hadn't released his arm either, not that he wanted her to.

"Jaken." Sesshomaru's voice came out in a low growl. He could sense the imp cowering away from him at the sound. "Apologize."

"What?" Sesshomaru turned fast and glared Jaken down without Rin releasing him. She was now hiding behind him but still clutching his arm. The little green toad was staring at her with wide eyes and an open jaw. There was also a lump forming on his head which Sesshomaru surmised was from his staff colliding with it thanks to Rin. He waited longer than he should've had to for Jaken to snap out of his stupor and bow low before the girl. "You have my most humble apologies for frightening you, young miss."

"Uh, thank you." She stammered out after taking several deep breaths. "Sorry for hitting you with your cane." Ah so he'd been right. Whatever Jaken had done to scare her had resulted in her attacking the little imp.

"It's a staff!" He shouted as he got to his feet and grabbed the object in question.

"Oh, sorry." She actually giggled a little at the glare she received.

"If you will excuse me milord there are things to attend to." Sesshomaru waved him away and turned back to Rin before remembering what he had been in the middle of before she'd screamed. He called the imp back. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Explain my absence to the board. Use the computer in my study." He turned again ignoring the words of acquiescence that floated back to him. He waited for the door to shut before addressing the very pale and thin looking female standing in front of him. "Are you well?" She nodded.

"Tired a little but yes. Sorry for, um, attacking your staff." She gave him a quick smile. He whisked her up off her feet and set her down gently on the edge of the bed. If she was still tired there was no need for her to just be standing around no was there. He leaned in close trying not to make it so obvious that he was sniffing the air around her for any sign that she was still in danger. The stench of rotting flesh had tainted her own fresh smell for the last three days. That doctor had certainly known what he was doing though he couldn't have come across too many similar incidents. "Thank you." She said softly yanking him back to the current moment where he was crouched down in front of her as she sat atop the large guest bed done in blues. The clash of color against the deep red robe she was wearing and her long black hair was eye catching to say the least. "For everything I mean." He nodded once and told himself to get up. Not that he was tired or straining anything but staying as he was but he was definitely too close to her. The new part of him liked that just a little too much while wanting to be closer still. Nothing was ever enough for that voice in his head. He looked down at his hands and recalled what it had been like to touch her in his car. How easily he could've hurt her with his claws.

He felt the air move seconds before her fingers gently touched his cheek. His head rose of its own accord to lock their eyes together and just like that he stilled. His body, his mind, all of it completely and utterly quiet. It was strange and yet peaceful. He knew he was in that moment he was absolutely and irrevocably hers. With a touch she had overpowered him and now held him enthralled. He was in deep trouble now. "Are you okay?" She asked him still speaking in a soft private voice.

No. "Yes." Well, part of him was at least. The new part of him purred out the word in his mind before he could stop it. _Mate._


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: Here is another chapter enjoy! As always thank you for the reviews and adds **

Arinna stared into the liquid golden eyes of Sesshomaru and felt something shift. She had no idea what the _something_ was but it felt major. He was just so still under her touch and warm. God he was warm. She felt a little foolish for striking the little man now but he didn't seem to care. He was staring at her like she was oxygen and he just couldn't get enough of it. In fact it was starting to make her slightly uncomfortable. They hadn't known each other for very long and no one had ever looked at her that way before. She didn't want to move and break the spell however so she just smiled softly. "Thank you." He blinked but otherwise no response. "For…well everything really." He still hadn't moved but there was the slightest softening to his face. She was just going to have to learn to read his minute facial expressions. "I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful or anything because I'm anything but, however I need to know why." He raised an eyebrow as if confused by the question. "Why are you always saving me or helping me? Just why me?" His brow furrowed slightly then he rose in one of those blindingly fast movements.

"You remind me of someone I lost a very long time ago." He stared off into nothing and there was a definite shut down of all traces of expression on his face. Someone important to him then. She despaired at her own surge of jealousy.

"Someone you cared about?" He turned back to look at her, seeming to read her thoughts even though she was certain she'd asked the question plainly.

"Yes though not the way you mean. I looked after her and provided for her."

"Oh. She was a human?" He nodded that stiff jerking nod. "How did you meet her?" He tucked his hands into his pockets and she watched as the glamour faded away revealing his demon markings.

"I was recovering after a battle with my brother in a forest. She happened upon me and tried to feed me. She kept returning day after day despite my insistence, even though she knew what I was." He paused and she feared he would stop altogether. This was the most she'd heard him speak at one time. "She was a human and an orphan. The people in the village didn't take kindly to that. One day she appeared with bruises on her face. I asked her how she'd gotten them and she smiled at me. That was the first time anyone had ever smiled at me, human or demon. Later, a pack of demons attacked the village and killed her." Arinna gasped but Sesshomaru just held up an elegant hand. "I came across her body on the path and was able to resurrect her. She followed me as I traveled for a year or so before I made arrangements for her to stay with a human village. She lived a very full and happy life and I visited with her from time to time." Arinna's eyes were wide and blinking.

"So wait, how old was she then when she found you in the forest?"

"She was a young child." Arinna cringed and started to fold her legs up underneath her. Okay that was just creepy. Sesshomaru sighed and knelt back down in front of her.

"This Sesshomaru was never in love with nor had any romantic feelings for his ward. Ever."

"Your ward?"

"That's what she was." He sounded defensive so she rearranged her face to display understanding instead of humor. She wasn't even sure the term _ward_ was still in use, unless you were Bruce Wayne or something. Minutes ticked by as she tried to think of something to say. "Your house is very beautiful." She settled on even though it was lame. He looked around the room and frowned again.

"Get dressed. I'll give you a tour of the rest of it." She frowned. That wasn't exactly what she'd meant.

"Oh, well about that…" He turned toward her and raised an eyebrow again. "It's just I don't really have any clothes here."

"There are clothes in the drawers." He said as he rose to go check to make sure. He did indeed find the clothing and turned a curious glance back at her. She fidgeted feeling like a whiney brat.

"Yes but they aren't _my_ clothes." He blinked again.

"I'll send Jaken for your things. For now wear some of these." With that he left the room, closing the door behind him. She sighed again but did as he asked. He did have a point. She should get out of this room and walk around. Besides, she was in Sesshomaru Taisho's house. The most reclusive eligible bachelor in the city. She wasn't so dense as to not see the opportunity here. She was curious for herself too. Sesshomaru was a demon after all. She dug through the drawers until she found a pair of jeans that were surprisingly her size and then she rooted around for a shirt. There was a drawer full of them all suspiciously the right size. She frowned at them and then at the door where Sesshomaru was no doubt waiting on the other side. Had he bought her an entire wardrobe while she was asleep? She made a mental note to try and discover the answer later. It wasn't worth an argument right now.

She dressed as quickly as she was able to and even spared a moment to glance at the scar in a mirror. She was definitely not going to like having to explain that to anyone ever. She opened the door to find Sesshomaru exactly where she thought he would be. Waiting patiently outside the door. He turned towards her the second she opened it so she smiled and ducked her head. "Is there anything else you require from your house?" She paused and blinked momentarily stunned by the question.

"Uh…I guess that depends on how long I'm going to be here."

"Until you are well." He responded as if the question had been ridiculous.

"Okay well then I guess I need some of my art supplies so I can work on my project. It's late by now anyway. I suppose I should call school and everyone."

"Your school, job, and friends have all been informed of your illness." He said with another one of his imperious hand waves. She frowned at him to which he looked surprised. "You previously mentioned the need to inform them of your whereabouts." She had? Oh right, when he'd kidnapped her. Although, wasn't he doing that again basically? She decided not to look too closely at it or she was just going to drive herself crazy.

"Could you make sure he feeds my cat then? I'm sure she's going crazy." Arinna felt a pang of guilt as she thought about three whole days without food or attention. Sesshomaru nodded again and whipped out his phone. He barked orders into it then closed it again without seeming to wait for a response. Servant or not she never would have tolerated being treated like that, but then again she wasn't a demon. It was called _human_ decency for a reason she guessed. Sesshomaru waited at the head of the stairs with only a glance back at her. She tucked her hands into the pockets of the jeans and started after him, walking a little fast so she could catch up. The house was huge! She was standing next to him when she finally gazed out over the landing and just took it all in.

The walls went out in the main area giving you a feeling of openness. You know just in case the vaulted ceilings and gigantic windows didn't do the trick. The entire house was done in the same kind of palatial opulence the room she had woken up in was. Her room for the time being she guessed. Although she had to wonder if her health would be determined by a professional of some kind or Sesshomaru himself. The color scheme was fairly simple however. It was mostly earth tones and gold everywhere with the occasional deep red. "It's just so big I guess." He scanned the area with an apparent lack of interest.

"I've never been easy indoors. I like the space." And here she thought he was going to say something like his dog demon form needed room or something.

"Oh. Your yard must be ridiculously huge then." She said with a smile. He looked thoughtfully out a window. Okay she'd been joking.

"It's rather plain really. Aside from tending the grass I leave it to its own. However the garden is fairly impressive, if you'd like to see it?" She smiled again and took a step closer to him.

"Ok."

Sesshomaru watched as Rin went up to every single flower and smelt it. Regardless of whether or not she had already pressed her nose against every other flower of its kind. He had never really been inclined to spend large amounts of time in the garden, preferring more to roam around his little piece of wilderness. Yet he couldn't remember a time when he had been more content just then. Of course, that really didn't have much to do with his surroundings. He watched her giggle and disappear around a corner. He could still sense her easily enough and if he trusted himself more he would've stayed closer to her. But this new mating instinct of his needed to be understood before it was tested. He knew that fighting it was really just going to prolong the inevitable and possibly endanger her so he acquiesced, however sullenly.

His eyes were already on the spot when Rin lifted her head over the tops of the flower cluster she was currently examining. She waved and smiled then disappeared again. He felt himself sigh. This was getting way too complicated. "My lord?" Jaken's squeaky voice interrupted his mental ramblings and for once the interruption wasn't unwelcome.

"Yes Jaken?"

"All of Rin's things are upstairs in the guest room. If you will there are some business matters that need your attention." Sesshomaru heard Rin gasp appreciatively. She was near the koi pond then.

"Very well." Jaken rambled off a list of issues to which Sesshomaru was able to give his favorite one word answers. It allowed him an easier time listening to Rin explore his grounds.

"There is still the matter of who you are taking to the annual fundraiser this year." Jaken hedged in. Sesshomaru felt his teeth clench together. He really didn't want to go to that stupid party again. Every year he went, usually dragging some intellectually stunted eye candy to appease his human board of directors. He needed time to understand this whole mating business not to be stuffed in a room full of humans that drove him nuts on the best of days.

"I'll make a decision when it's closer to the date."

"Forgive me, sire, but the party is a little over a week away." Sesshomaru growled that time. Damn! He hadn't realized time was slipping away from him like that. Although….He felt a glimmer of an idea ghost through his head just as Rin rounded the corner and spotted him.

"There you are! Wow it's kind of easy to get lost in here." She stopped upon seeing Jaken and Sesshomaru listened as her heart beat picked up the pace. Unbelievable. "Oh uh…hi Mister….Jack….Jekk…"

"JAKEN!" The imp shouted angrily.

"Sorry!" The girl blushed and tried not to laugh so Sesshomaru let it pass. For the moment. "I wanted to apologize for before."

"Hmph." Jaken folded his little arms and looked away from her. Sesshomaru had a memory flash back to a far earlier time by a stream with a similar moment and almost smiled.

"Leave us Jaken. I'll give you my decision later." The imp was momentarily stunned but he tottered away without another word. Apparently after five hundred years he was finally beginning to learn.

"You know…" The girl started and she had somehow moved much closer before he'd realized. Damnit she was in touching distance again. He was trying to put a little physical distance between them before he did something irrevocable. Like made that fading mark on her neck permanent. Even as he thought it he had the intense impulse to get up and do it. "You should really be nicer to him. I mean I understand that i have no idea about the demon world but really. Do you have to be mean?" He frowned and thought about it. No he supposed he didn't. But he was the dominant demon and Jaken was his servant. Therefore he could and did treat him however he saw fit. Jaken was always free to leave should he so choose to.

"It is the way of things." He said hoping for once she wouldn't ask any more questions. He nearly keeled over when she just sighed and shook her head.

"Fine be mean but it'll be your own fault when he leaves." He blinked several times then turned his attention somewhere else. Anywhere else. Why did she feel the need to do this to him? Yes she wasn't _actually_ doing anything but standing there but really. As if she didn't know that he was attracted to her. She was just standing there, completely guileless and yet challenging him all the same. "So where next?" She asked suddenly close to him again.

"I'll show you the rest of the house." He stood as quickly as he could but not before she'd turned and her hair brushed against his hand. So soft. Yes inside was a very good plan. There were plenty of people in there to keep him and his base instincts in check. He followed her up the pathway back to the main house while watching the lines of her body move and change with her walk.

"So what were you guys talking about?" She asked with a quick look and a smile over her shoulder. The effect was indeed pleasing but he was now distracted with the labored sounds of her breath. He cursed himself for having built the house on a hill so that she now had to walk up it to get back inside.

"My company has an annual fundraiser coming up soon. The board is inappropriately interested in my attendance." She snorted before commenting.

"Inappropriately interested? What does that mean exactly?" What did she mean by that? He thought it was a fairly obvious statement.

"They want to know if I intend to go and whom I intend to bring. Not that it's any of their business." She laughed and he paused to listen to the sound as it bounced back to him from the trees.

"You're their boss of course they want to know if you're going. And is it really so bad for them to be curious about you? You do tend to be mysterious." He frowned at her back as she picked her way slowly up the path.

"This Sesshomaru is not mysterious." She smiled again. He could hear it in her response without seeing it.

"Right. So your coworkers know about you being a demon then?" He waited for her to reach the top before giving her a look displaying his lack of enjoyment at her sarcasm. "Didn't think so. You should just tell them who you are taking and then they'll get off your back about it. You're only making it worse by prolonging it." Wasn't that just the theme of his current predicament?

"I'll tell them you'll be joining me for the evening then?" He asked and resisted the urge to grin smugly as her eyes widened.

"Me?" She even pointed to herself. He nodded and then reached for the door and held it open. Her scent enveloped him as soon as she walked by him still doing an impression of a fish.

"Well I…I mean I guess…I could…if…"

"Good." He urged her into the dining area and pulled out a chair for her to sit in. "Sit." He was pleased when she did so without argument and then she drank the glass of water that was placed before her without one as well.

"Maybe I was a bit over ambitious today." She said with a wan smile. Damnit all. He just could not make his mated self happy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, yada yada yada**

**Author's Note: Sorry it's late but I got a new laptop! (Yay!) So I've been trying to master windows 7 lol. Anyways here it is. I'll try to get better about posting these I really will **** As always thank you for the adds and reviews. P.S. Fair warning, the chapter after this one will have a lemon scene. All those who do not wish to read it should just skip ahead. **

Arinna sat on a ridiculously plush sofa in what could only be described as a sun room. The windows were positioned to capture the maximum amount of sun in the afternoon and evening which what a shock was exactly what time of day it was. She imagined he had an identical room on the other side of the house to capture the morning light. What was she going to do about him? He'd asked her to go to the party with him, well demanded really but still the sentiment was the same. He wanted her near him. She was quickly coming to understand that the more she was with him the less she wanted to be without him. That was probably not very healthy. They had passed days together. Only a couple but somehow it felt longer. He never actually ate anything but he sat with her as she did. Sometimes he would read the paper or sometimes he would just watch her. Being watched while she ate was definitely something she was trying to adjust to. He had a weird fascination with keeping her fed and healthy. Often insisting she needed more than she actually did.

She turned her gaze to at the man in question who was sitting across from her diligently working at some paper work or other. For all of his wealth he seemed to avoid computers unless he absolutely needed to use them. It made her smile. She herself wasn't particularly interested in the technology of the age preferring to draw and read. That thought made her smile widen. Sesshomaru had indeed brought all of her art supplies, clothes, and even personal grooming collection from her apartment. He'd also brought her cat. That had been the biggest surprise and yet shouldn't have been one at all. She expressed a wish or a need and he filled it, just like that without question. He didn't seem to like the cat and the cat seemed the share the opinion which only ever made her laugh, much to his displeasure. He lifted his head and stared over at her with curiosity. His golden eyes were something she was also learning to decipher, rather quickly in fact. They never changed very much but the tiny little traces could tell you everything. Very helpful when they're owner insisted on being perversely stoic and silent. An elegant silver eyebrow arched reminding her he was waiting for an answer to his unspoken question so she smiled and looked back down at her sketchbook.

The same eyes assaulted her there. In fact he was all she had been able to draw for the last two days. Silver hair, golden eyes, pale skin with deep red demon markings. And his claws. For some reason his clawed fingers entranced her mind so that she drew them repeatedly. Though he was never angry when she drew him. Often his image looked at her as if it knew something she didn't. Other times he looked sad and yet still on occasion those golden orbs smoldered off the page at her. The last one wasn't hard to figure out cause even a blind deaf mute could tell she was infatuated with him. She would've sighed but that just would've elicited another response from him. She really didn't have an answer to the question. Nothing was wrong with her. She felt fine but she didn't want to leave. She felt bad for impinging on his hospitality but she couldn't stop thinking that all of this togetherness they had achieved in so short a time would fade without physical proximity. He flipped a page causing her eyes to glance over at him. Stealthily as she could manage she checked to make sure he wasn't looking her way and then she grinned to herself. He was after all very good at keeping one pose for a long time.

His form began to take shape on the page as he studied his books or whatever it was he was doing. Every once in a while a frown would grace his brow and he would flip through more papers and she would have to pause and wait for him to settle back. He didn't seem to notice her staring at him or if he did he paid it no heed. She'd realized he often did this. If he didn't want to answer a question he ignored it. If he didn't like what she'd said well he ignored that too. His flippant manner had on more than one occasion sparked a powerfully violent reaction in her that she walked away from before tossing some priceless antique at the stubborn dog's head. Then she would remember everything he had done for her and the way he cared and she would be immediately contrite. Her eyes traced the lines of his hands as her fingers drew them on the paper. He rested the tip of one of those long beautiful fingers against his temple as he worked. The expression was just so human it made her smile again. This was domestic bliss or as close to it as she ever wanted to get she decided.

She felt her blood turn into something hot and active as sketched those perfect lips onto the already statuesque face on the page. She remembered how those lips had felt as they pressed against hers, eager and demanding. She remembered the feel of sharp pointed canines as they ran down the large vein in her neck. Not enough to break skin but enough to feel the pressure. Her skin started to tingle as she remembered the way his hands had caressed her curves. Making her feel so beautiful, so alive, and yet so very fragile all at the same time. Even then she must have known instinctively that he could have crushed her at any moment. Maybe not so coherently as she could think it now but still the thought was anything but a deterrent. Living with Sesshomaru had forced her to examine things about herself she hadn't known were there. He was a demon. By all means her evolved and educated mind dictated she be terrified of him, but she wasn't. He'd kidnapped her, twice now, and voluntarily admitted that he could track, also known as stalk, her anywhere. Yet she remained here, trusting him and falling deeper and deeper into an infatuation that was problematic on so many levels.

Sure she had always been proud of her open mindedness and easygoing nature but still, it seemed wrong for some reason. Wrong to want those hands to touch her again. Like she was a woman, a woman he wanted. Wrong to want to feel his teeth sink into the flesh of her neck or feel the tips of the claws creep tantalizingly slow up her legs. So wrong and yet… Sesshomaru's head snapped up to hers and he put the pencil down slowly. "What are you doing?" He asked softly but his voice was low and gravely. She felt color heat her cheeks but couldn't stop it despite many attempts.

"Drawing you." That was a safe enough answer. Yes the drawing had veered off into fantasizing, something his intense gaze was not helping to dispel, but still. It wasn't a lie.

"What am I doing in this drawing?" She licked her lips and watched as his eyes tracked the movement.

"I was drawing you as you are right now. Working." He studied her face and then turned away from his desk reclining against the chair.

"Show me." She felt her teeth clench and she stared him down.

"And if I don't?" They eyes flashed with something but it was gone too quick to name.

"It wasn't a command." He stated flatly.

"It sounded like one." He returned her stare without blinking for what seemed like an eternity.

"This Sesshomaru would see your rendition of his appearance." She wasn't sure how that differed from the previous command except the flowery words. But he had at least tried so she figured she'd cave. With a flourish she turned the sketchbook around and showed him the sketch she had most recently been working on. She watched him as he took in every mark her pencil had made against the paper. This was one of those times where his expressionless face really irritated her. If he hated it she would probably spend the next two days crying. At least.

"I'm still getting used to drawing everyday again." She said slightly defensive at his lack of reaction.

"No one has ever captured my likeness in this manner." He finally said in a soft nearly reverent tone. Did that mean he liked it?

"I'm surprised. I would've thought someone would have tried to paint you at some point."

"I do not like the smell of your paints." He said the word 'paint' like she would have said 'two day old fish'. It made her giggle.

"Still, you've never sat still long enough to have someone sketch you?"

"This Sesshomaru has not known another artist besides you." That made her happy when it really shouldn't have. She had no right to be jealous over him. He'd lived for centuries before she had even been thought of.

"So you like it?" He didn't turn his intense study from the portrait and instead answered her in his familiar flippant tone.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Yes." She sighed loudly and moved to cover the sketchbook.

"I don't want you to humor me you know. I wanted your honest opinion." His hand flashed forward and caught hers before she could put the cover over the portrait.

"This Sesshomaru has no need to lie, especially to a human. This portrait is pleasing to me." She looked into his eyes with a frown. "Do you doubt my sincerity Rin?"

"You aren't looking at it like it pleases you." She snapped. "You're looking at it like it's something strange and confusing to you."

"I am trying to discern what about it aroused you so much." She felt her face blanche and then turn beet red. She opened her mouth to ask how when he blinked lazily. "I can smell your emotions clearly little human." Well that was good to know. She was still mightily embarrassed but he wasn't trying to humiliate her, or so it seemed. He was just honestly curious.

"I was remembering." The golden eyes tinged amber and shut her out. "The time we were in the car." She clarified wondering if maybe she wasn't the only one with a jealousy problem. His eyes stared back into hers searching for something and returning to their former golden magnificence.

"I remember you were angry with me for kidnapping you." She smirked a little. She hadn't known then what she knew now although in all honesty she would probably still have been pissed. "Are you angry with me for doing so again?"

Sesshomaru waited for her answer with a painful kind of expectation. He didn't want her to be angry. He liked the fact that the memory of his loss of control, and sanity, was arousing to her. It gave him courage, and ridiculous urge, to try again. "No." He frowned down at her. "You saved my life and you've been more than kind to me." Yet he pissed her off occasionally. He could smell it on her like burnt air after lightning strikes.

"You may be honest with me Rin. In fact I insist on it." He lowered himself to his knees in front of her and released his hold on her hands. She let the sketchbook fall into her lap but didn't break the eye lock.

"Have I given you a reason to believe that I'm not?" She arched an eyebrow at him. The challenge thrummed through his body like a high octane blast of power. At first he thought she was doing it on purpose. Constantly challenging him and pushing him to the limit of his self-control. Then he began to realize she had no idea she was doing it at all. It was why he craved her the way he did. She had no idea the power she held over him. She didn't even appear to care. Well he supposed he should say that in the past tense now. She was attracted to him but was it the lure of the forbidden or just him?

"I know you are angry with me." He slowly brought one of his fingers to rest under her chin. Giving her plenty of time to move if she didn't want him to touch her. She stayed very still and just watched him watch her. He tilted her face up just slightly but giving himself easier access to her lips or her neck, should he decide to fully collapse into madness.

"Do I smell angry?" The question was a tease but he leaned closer and inhaled the air just below her jaw anyway. Cinnamon and musk and something indefinable as anything other than Rin washed over him. No she was certainly not angry with him just at this moment. He growled softly or at least he hoped it was soft and not as loud as it felt in his head. Just like that the mating instinct fired up and pushed his logical rational self to the sideline.

"No, you do not." He admitted having to force the words out of his mouth when it no longer wanted to be speaking.

"What do I smell like now?" She breathed softly. He pulled himself back to stare into her eyes and try once again to understand her. Again he failed. The ferocity with which he wanted this perplexing little human was frightening. For a demon such as himself to be frightened by something as deadly to him as a mouse to a snake was grating. "Sesshomaru?" She asked again. His name from her voice was a whole new brand of aphrodisiac he was again terrified of. Thousands had spoken his name before yet none with this much snare behind it. Even the young Rin from so long ago.

"You smell like you did that day in the car." He answered reluctantly. He didn't want to be talking. There were better uses for their mouths. But denying himself was a sweet agony he was starting to get used to. Besides, if he gave in to temptation he wasn't sure he could pull himself back. Taking advantage of a sick human was so far beneath him it was unthinkable.

"Hmm." Was all she said but she stared at him through hooded eyes. She was going to be the death of him of that he was certain. No demon could ever hope to take him down but this girl sitting on his sofa like she had all the time in the world would end him. Hell she could've raised a sword and taken his head and he wouldn't stop her. Well, probably not. Once again, human impatience won out in their intense little silent battle of wills and she sighed heavily. "I want you to kiss me." His breath left him on a hiss and he blinked to try and free himself from her eyes. She was just so impossible to resist. She waited patiently for him to decide but it was an illusion and he knew it. Sooner rather than later she would once again tire of his indecision and kiss him like she had in the car. It would all be over then, he'd lose his control and quite possible take the poor girl right on the couch, sick or not. He needed to be master of this and oddly enough the only way was to do as she asked. Well, sort of asked.

He leaned forward again this time placing them nose to nose. He listened as her heart beat raced and her breath quickened. Anticipation or fear? The fear was highly unlikely as this incarnation of Rin seemed just as incapable of understanding the notion as the last. Slowly, making sure he was still in control of himself the entire time, he pressed his lips against hers. She shuddered underneath him but otherwise remained still as if she knew exactly what he needed. He paused when satisfied that he could stop whenever he wanted he kissed her again. He felt her hands find their way to his arms and felt himself melt into her just a little bit more. He teetered dangerously close to the edge again so he eased off the kiss slightly. Yup still in control. Rin's hands disappeared and he nearly growled at her but he heard the sketchbook being moved then they were back only now they were traveling towards his shoulders. Her legs part just enough to allow him to come closer. The exotic spice mix got stronger and his mated self responded accordingly kissing her harder.

A happy sigh came from her suddenly parted lips and he took the offered opening without hesitation. She arched under the invasion of the instantly hotter kiss. Her hands gripped his shoulders as their tongues danced and dueled with each other. He distantly heard the ringing and ignored it. This jolt of life was worth following wherever it went. Nothing else had sent his heart beating so loud as it was right now. Not even the duel with the flesh demon. He froze where he was as the door to the room opened hesitantly. He was on his feet instantly and heard a frustrated sigh from the couch. "Yes Jaken?"

"Milord, I apologize deeply for interrupting your work but there is an urgent call for you." A series of rather unpleasant grumbles emanated from the couch but he was definitely the only one who could hear. He did however smirk at the epithets.

"I'll be right there." Jaken turned and left while Sesshomaru righted his shirt back the way it had been. "I'll be back in a moment." Rin looked up at him with a fire that tempted him to just ignore the call. He was the boss after all. No! He needed to control his need for the girl and that's what he was doing. He turned and strode from the room. If his strides were a little longer than normal well it was a process and he was learning.

The moment turned into a half hour. By the time he hung up the damned phone he was cursing its creator back to the fiery depths of damnation. As soon as he was able he flashed himself back into the westerly facing sunroom only to find her gone. He ground his teeth but decided to look for her sketchbook. How many other drawings of him were in there? What did those ones look like? Having seen the one he now wanted to know if that was how she saw him all the time or did her opinion change. Unfortunately she had apparently taken it with her. He frowned as he tried to think of what to do. He knew what he wanted to do but he had promised himself he would never just go into her room without asking unless she was in danger. Right now he was the most dangerous thing to her. At least in the house. After another moment or two of waffling he dispersed his molecules and reassembled them in her room. He extended every sense to locate her and was answered by the running water of the shower. Satisfied that she wouldn't catch him snooping he hunted the sketchbook and steered clear of the image of her naked in the shower.

He found the book propped against the bay window which was promptly vacated by her little furball. He lifted the book and opened the top to be confronted by a picture of said furball. He frowned. Next page was a picture of some of the flowers in his garden. Very excellent detailed renditions and he found them oddly pleasing. Next page was more of the same. Then he turned another and was confronted by his own eyes again. She had drawn him again. In fact, she'd drawn him many times. He looked different in each one. He felt himself smile as he quickly memorized the pictures to observe in his mind at his leisure. He was startled into absolute stillness for the second time that day by a door opening. Only this time, Rin was about to catch him snooping in her room rather than Jaken catching him on his knees kissing the girl. He quickly set the book down and turned to face her only to be reduced to nothing more than an animal at the sight of her skin still rosy from the hot shower. Her hair was still dripping wet and the red towel was far too fetching on her for her own good. _Think_. He needed to say something, anything to distract himself and explain his presence. "You weren't downstairs." There that was good. She strode past him enveloping him in a fresh wave of her scent.

"You said 'a minute' not thirty." He growled and watched as she turned around slowly. "Why do you keep up the glamour?" Her question caught him off guard, helped him gain some mental ground. Of course he had no answer however. "I mean it's just you and Jaken here so who would mind?"

"You are here."

"Do you think I mind?" Her eyes widened innocently and he felt his internal engine rev. Fine she wanted him without glamour then that is how she would get him. He released the magic and watched her eyes drink him in and then she smiled. "Much better." Her next sound was a very feminine gasp as he flashed over to her and pressed her back against the dresser. He claimed her mouth once more and purred as her hands clasped on to his waist and pulled him even closer.

"We were not finished."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha obv. **

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay (again) but here it is. All who don't wish to read a lemon scene please just skip ahead to Sesshomaru's POV.**

Arinna tried to think around her lust but it just wasn't happening. Probably because a towering powerful male named Sesshomaru was pressing her against the dresser and devouring her common sense in a fiery lip lock. She was sure there was something, some reason why this wasn't a good idea but her brain just couldn't figure it out. This much sensation had to be a good thing, didn't it? Sesshomaru's hands traveled down the sides of her body, rising and falling with the lines of her curves. She shuddered and heard a small gasp escape her lips even though they seemed to be fused with his. Sesshomaru's tongue slid into her mouth and she felt her body arch into his even further at the invasion. _Oh to hell with it._ She could feel all the supposed impropriety in the morning. She threw caution out the window and kissed him back hard and demanding. She earned a sound somewhere between a growl and a moan then was pressed even harder into the dresser. She moaned this time but it wasn't exactly pleasure. She was quickly realizing that they needed to move or she was going to be snapped in half.

Sesshomaru solved the problem by growing impatient himself. He nipped gently at her bottom lip causing a surprising jolt of pleasure then lifted her off the ground and sat her on top of the dresser. She wasn't even aware of the movement. All of a sudden her feet were just dangling over air and the height difference was no longer an issue. This gave her fingers ample access to his shirt which was in the way of his skin. Naturally the obstruction needed to be removed. Unbuttoning a shirt while being kissed proved to be much more difficult than she had originally planned however and she was quickly frustrated with her inability to concentrate on the task. Once again he seemed to read her mind and released her lips. She rejoiced momentarily until she felt those devious lips kissing their way down her jaw line and following the curve of her neck. She got another couple of buttons unfastened before she felt teeth sink into the bend where her neck met her shoulder and a blast of high octane lust overrode all higher brain functions.

She floated there in a realm of nothing but feeling for a few moments before her surroundings came back to her once again. She smiled and sighed happily releasing the death grip she had on his shoulders and moving them back to the front of his shirt. He was far too occupied memorizing every inch of her he could to notice the way she was sliding his shirt over his shoulders and then down his arms. Apparently he wasn't entirely distracted as he moved his hands away only long enough for her to free him from the shirt then they were back to their previous task. She tossed the shirt away not caring where it landed. Sesshomaru was kissing her and nuzzling her neck. His hands kneaded her hips and then moved down to her thighs. She traced the lines of muscles that had only been hinted at before through clothing but now she could see with her own eyes. Well sculpted and rock hard. There was a particularly long scar around the upper part of his left arm so she traced it with her tongue eliciting a shudder from him.

She felt the light pressure of claws slowly making their way up her legs, underneath the robe. Her breath came harder and blood pounded through her veins. She wasn't sure exactly how far they planned to take this and she really did not want to be interrupted again. She wasn't entirely certain where the point of no return was here but they were hurtling towards it at a break neck pace. He suddenly stilled, once again in perfect sync with her, and dropped his head to her shoulder. She was pleased to see she wasn't the only one out of breath. "Rin." There was no inflection to help her judge the meaning behind his utterance. Was he asking permission? Was he apologizing? Infuriating dog demon! She waited as patiently as possible, which was not very much before she leaned away from him forcing him to look up at her. His eyes were gold tinged with red looking for all the world like orbs of molten fire gazing back at her. Again his face held no emotion. Just intensity.

"Sesshomaru." She tried to answer him the same way he had spoken to her but it wasn't easy and she knew she wasn't entirely successful. She wanted him obviously but was she really going to sleep with him? He was a demon after all and he certainly had a few issues in regards to informing her of things. Like before he kidnapped her or saved her from getting attacked. But he also looked at her in a way no one else ever had and she suspected ever would. Was she really going to walk away from that because he wasn't technically human? No she suspected she wasn't going to. Not that she particularly needed to decide her future right at this moment but it seemed unfair to do something serious like this and not intend to pursue it any further. Although maybe that was how demon's behaved all the time? And maybe she was over thinking things again.

She reached out and cupped her hands around his face like she had earlier accept this time she leaned forward, slow enough to give him time to move if he wanted to, then she pressed her lips softly to his. He didn't move so she kissed him again a little harder this time and she licked his delectable lips one at a time. Her fingers gently caressed his demon markings and then the ridge of his pointed ears. Novelties that would never get old in her mind. She felt him sigh underneath her ministrations and then in another one of those blindingly fast movements she was moving. Or rather he was moving but he'd picked her up so she was moving too. Of course she was locked around him so the only real difference was a slight jostle with each step. Not entirely unpleasant either. Suddenly she was falling and then she crashed into the ridiculously soft comforter. Sesshomaru rose to his feet and she got up onto her elbows all ready to protest but his golden eyes were locked onto hers. His clawed fingers encased her ankle and lifted her foot to his mouth where he promptly kissed a line from her toe to her ankle bone and then started traveling higher.

She watched him as she felt each kiss like an electric shock followed by a wave of pleasure, each successively larger than the one before it. Sesshomaru watched her watching him with flared nostrils and a very predatory look on his face. Why did that make things low in her body clench? It wasn't fear, not really, but there was a slight drop of it mixed in there for sure. He would stop if she asked him to because that was the way he was. But he didn't have to. And there really wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop him. Another rush of near excruciating lust washed over her and she watched as his nostril's flared in response. His lips reached her hip and he froze where he was when she squirmed around underneath him. He stared down at her drinking in the sight but not moving. She waited, breathless and then when she couldn't wait anymore a wicked idea came over so she smiled. Slowly her hands traveled down over the front of the plush red robe until they got to the sash keeping the thing closed. Sesshomaru's eyes tracked the movement and he looked very animalistic just then. Funny that just made her smile bigger.

With exaggerated slowness she untied the tie making sure he was watching the whole time. Which he was in that absolute still way of his. Once it was unknotted she sat up and pulled the cord through the loops tossing it behind her head with a mischievous smile. She waited for him to make a move but when he didn't she raised an eyebrow at him and began to move one side of the robe off her shoulder. The entire robe was gone in the next instant and she was fairly certain she'd heard the cloth ripping. Apparently his lordship had never learned the fine art of patience but damn did he ever learn how to kiss. He had her pressed flat beneath him against the mattress and was kissing her so hard she wondered if she would have bruised lips in the morning. Not that she was complaining. He could kiss her like this any time he wanted. Even if she was pissed off she'd be okay with the kiss.

The fact that she was now completely naked underneath him wasn't as awkward as she thought it would've been. In fact, the places where their skin met felt like it was on fire. It was strange to have so much of him touching her already and yet still want more. It may have been cliché to say so but she'd never felt this way before with anyone else. Something about Sesshomaru himself was like a drug, an addiction for her. Like she needed yet another unhealthy response to this man. She trailed her hands down through the fine sheet of silver hair that was now enveloping them. He usually kept it tied back away from his face in a braid but now it was loose and she marveled at the length of it. It must have reached his ankles. And soft, god it was so soft. Like _mokomoko_ but finer, more like strands of silk. She wiggled around again as his fingers found a ticklish spot and she felt him grind his hips into her in response. Yeah, those pants were definitely a hindrance now.

She snaked her fingers around the waistband so she fumble with the clasp. They were nice pants after all and since he'd destroyed a rather plush cloth robe she wasn't leaving the thin fabric to his devices. She smiled into the kiss they were sharing when her hands succeeded and nothing but skin greeted her searching fingers. Sesshomaru growled and then gasped himself as she struggled with the pants and simultaneously wrapped her hand around him. The contrast between the heat of her hand and the heat of his body was stunning and all the more enticing. Her fumbling human pace was too slow for him however and the pants soon followed the robe in the disappearing elsewhere of beyond the bed where they were entangled. Sesshomaru dragged one sinful claw down the center of her chest, her stomach, then over to the side of her hip and down her thigh. She hissed the air through her teeth and stared up into the eyes that were staring down at her. He hooked one arm underneath her knee pulling her leg up. "Mine." He growled and with one powerful thrust sheathed himself inside her.

She kept waiting for it to hurt, for him to lose control and do something she couldn't handle but it never happened. With every retreat there was a delicious friction and every thrust she was straining her body to get back to him. And the pressure. A pressure was building somewhere between her spine and her groin that was pushing her mind to the limits of endurance. She felt it rise higher and higher, almost fearing the breaking point when it would crash over her and wash her away to a blissful place outside of the real world. When she was sure she couldn't take it any longer Sesshomaru leaned down and bit into her neck again. She cried out but whether it was the pleasure of the bite or the intensity of the orgasm she couldn't have figured out even with more time. Her body felt like it broke apart and dissolved. Into the air, into the bed, into him. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her, breaking her again and again until somehow, someway her body coalesced again into the shape it once had occupied. She opened her eyes reluctantly surprised to see the world exactly the way she had left it. Sesshomaru had wrapped his arms around her and was nuzzling her neck and ears. The entire world could've gone up flames and she wouldn't have cared one bit.

Sesshomaru laid in the guest bed listening to Rin's steady heartbeat. He'd flung an arm over his eyes at some point and was now silently berating himself for his actions. She was sick, recovering from wounds that had been inflicted because of him and he'd all but attacked her. Yes she had started the little session on the couch and it could be argued he was only finishing it but that was a cop out. He was the Overlord of the West he should have better control over his baser instincts. It wasn't her fault she smelt so good. It wasn't her fault that she looked even better when surrounded in deep red cloth and being all fresh and rosy from the shower. He was the one who had lived for centuries. He was the one who had prided himself on control in every aspect of his life for all of his long years. Yet here was, relaxing in post-coital exhaustion after having behaved no better than his father. Or worse, Inuyasha. Even thinking the name made him snarl.

Not that he hadn't enjoyed himself. Hell no, the exact opposite. Every sigh, every moan just egged him on further. She could've said stop at any time but she didn't. He heaved a sigh and the metallic tang of blood tickled his nose. His blood. The corner of his mouth twitched as if he were fighting a smile. She'd bit him and drawn blood. The animal in him had gone wild at that. So much so he was afraid he'd hurt her with the enthusiastic response but she just begged him for more. Humans were so perplexing when one took the time to try and understand them. Maybe it was just her but somehow she never reacted the way he thought she would. She had a peculiar way about her that could keep him guessing as to what she would do next. It was infuriating and intoxicating all at once. He had however discovered one thing that both halves of his brain could agree on. His name leaving her lips on a cry of pleasure was the most pleasing sound his ears had ever heard. What a sap he was turning into.

Of course now that they had slept together what did that mean? Would she leave? Yes probably and it was best. He couldn't guarantee he wouldn't track her down like the dog he was and guard her but he could promise not to take her again. He hadn't even asked her. Just kept going until he'd overwhelmed her into submission. She probably hated him. She'd wake up and regret what had happened. He could see the look of betrayal in her eyes so clearly and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Why had he done it? He'd stopped before he'd lost control. He'd warned her not to touch him again. It hadn't _sounded _like a warning but it was one. She'd just kissed him anyway. He'd known what he was doing when he carried her to the bed. Known what would happen as she came for him again and again but hearing those sighs was like a driving need that wouldn't quit in his skull. Even now he wanted to hear it again. He could just reach over to her sleeping form and kiss her again. No! He needed to leave her alone.

Damnit! He just couldn't win. He wanted her. More and more it was never enough but at the same time he wanted her to be happy. He was damn sure that happy was not what she'd be feeling in the morning. Who could blame her? He'd kidnapped her, twice, had nearly gotten her killed, and now had just forced himself on her. He was despicable. No better than the filth he had spent centuries besting. He wanted someone to come along and kick his ass for his wretched behavior but there was no one. The handful of demons that still existed tended to keep their distance from each other. He couldn't expect Rin to do it, though perhaps she would yell at him. Maybe dress him down and tell him he was an asshole or something. Of course, defiance seemed to make him want her more so perhaps that wasn't a good idea.

He froze when he heard her shift around next to him. Her heart rate increased and she sighed deeply. She was waking up. Shit. Should he leave? No that would be even more horrible than staying. But he could at least pretend to sleep. Let her sneak out in privacy and decency. Yes that he could do. He flopped over onto his stomach and rested his head on folded arms. Closing his eyes was a new kind of torture as he wanted to see her reaction to him, maybe memorize her face one last time before she fled. But he couldn't. She'd put on a smile even if it wasn't what she felt and sit with him even if she was mad. He couldn't have that. No he would forgo the calming sensation of seeing her to give her a dignified escape. He listened intently as if every fiber in his being was hypo aware of her movements, which in all honesty they kind of were. She stretched out slowly and sighed deeply. He listened to the sheets rustling as she moved beneath them and then stilled. She probably just realized he was still there. No doubt frowning at him or maybe even glaring.

She didn't move for a long time or at least it seemed that way to him. Probably trying to figure out the best way to sneak out without catching his attention. He could almost hear the indecision in her head. This was Rin after all. She wouldn't want to be rude. After an agonizing span of time that had no measurement for him he heard her slip from between the sheets and land softly on the floor. He tracked her movements around the room and was amused by her attempts at opening drawers or closing doors softly. If he _had_ actually been asleep her sadly lacking stealth skills would have woken him. The more she tried to be quiet the more she seemed to bump into things. He heard her curse softly as she closed a drawer on what was no doubt a finger. He listened as she made her way over to the window and struggled not to frown. What was she after over there? He heard the paper of her sketchbook move and it clicked. She wouldn't want to leave that after all. Would she keep the pictures of him he wondered?

She surprised him, again, by climbing back onto the bed. He was torn between opening his eyes and figuring out what she was up to and staying exactly where he was so she wouldn't leave. He decided to feign sleep a little longer and try to ferret out this new development on his own. She smelt like a mixture of the two of them and it was immensely pleasing. Which side of him was enjoying it was up for debate at the moment. He heard a soft growl of frustration from her and then the stench of coal filled the air between them. What was she up to? He listened intently until he heard a scratch against the paper. It took a moment but then another followed and soon they became more frenzied. She was drawing? Was she drawing him again? He couldn't resist the temptation and cracked an eyelid just enough to peer at her. Her brow was furrowed and she was bent over her large sketch pad. She darted a glance over the top and then went back to work. Yes, she was drawing him.

He felt confused and slightly excited, both of which were new to him, neither of which he liked. She should be running or at the very least angry. Could she really not be upset with him? Highly unlikely. Yet still, there she sat. In his shirt, the only piece of clothing that had survived the last twelve hours and furiously working on what he deduced was an image of himself. He finally gave in and opened his eyes all the way, watching her work. It was curious to him the way she got angry with the strokes she'd made or the way she seemed to take more care with some lines than others. Of course he couldn't see the work in progress he could only see her face and her body as she created it. Her head peeked over the top again and she caught his stare. Her brown eyes widened and he watched as blood pooled under her cheeks. "Uh…sorry. You just looked really peaceful there so I wanted to draw you." Okay not angry. Or at least, not obviously angry. He frowned. "It's not a big deal. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Show me." Her eyes widened further and the blush deepened. She clutched at the book as if she thought he was going to snatch it.

"It's not finished." Defiant again. His face smoothed out in an effort to conceal his emotions from her.

"How long will it take you to finish?" She considered his question after a moment of staring and blinking at him. He hadn't thought it was such a strange question but apparently she was very confused by it.

"Um, I'm not sure. It was just a rough sketch." Like that meant something to him. He sighed so she would know he was frustrated by that response.

"Fine, finish. Then show me." He had thought it impossible but her eyes were even rounder.

"Are you sure?" He nodded. "You don't have to." He growled until she smiled shyly and ducked her head. "Okay. Well, don't move too much if you can." He stilled his muscles and set his eyes on her. Hopefully this would not take long.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

_Author's Note: Here we go another fun filled chapter of futuristic Sesshy and Rin __ Enjoy. Sorry again for the delay I think we've finally curbed the busy season at work. Thank God._

Arinna should have known that by asking Sesshomaru to be 'as still as possible' he would take that quite literally. He hadn't moved for the entire two hours it had taken to draw him. He'd watched her the whole time which had been unnerving at first and then slowly morphed into something peaceful. Of course, now that it was finished she was anxious about showing him. He seemed to like the other ones, kind of. "Okay it's finished." Her response was a lazy blink of golden eyes. She offered a brief smile and then sat staring at the image. She had promised to show it to him but now that she looked she could see each and every imperfection. She didn't want to show him those because his perfect demonic eyesight would catch them.

"Show it to me." She gritted her teeth trying not to snap at the command. It was an extremely irritating habit of his. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "This Sesshomaru does not understand what you have to fear." He sounded frustrated and actually confused. She opened her eyes to peer at him and found him now sitting up and studying her.

"What if you don't like it?" He blinked again.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so I am told."

"I don't understand."

"What does it matter if I like it?" She frowned and clutched the book a little closer.

"Well, if you don't like it, it means I didn't do a good job. Which I obviously want to do a good one. And if you don't like it you won't let me do it again."

"Whether or not I find the 'rough sketch' as you called it appealing will have no bearing on future endeavors of this sort." Was that supposed to be comforting? No, probably not. Sesshomaru didn't really do comforting.

"But…"

"Rin." Her name was more of a growl than a word from his lips but she heaved a sigh and caved in. Once she had the book turned to face him he stilled again and gave the page the same intense scrutiny he had bestowed on the others. She watched his face, hoping just once he'd give a hint as to what he was thinking. She didn't get any and was nearly jumping in place waiting for the verdict. "How do you do that?" He asked looking for all the world like a puzzled child.

"Do what exactly?" She fought the smile but could feel the edges of her mouth starting to twitch.

"I can tell what I'm thinking." He turned his head different ways as he examined it closely.

"Well, I don't really know." She shrugged and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I guess I try to make your eyes as expressive as I can because they're so hard to read most of the time." Ha! Take that! He did, of course, with a blink and a brisk nod without turning his attention away from the drawing. She fought the urge to grumble. Clearly he'd missed the point.

"Next time I will watch and see how you do it myself." Her eyes popped open and she stared at him.

"Next time?" Naturally that was the time for the knock on the door because heaven forbid they actually _discuss_ something. Sesshomaru made no inclination towards answering the door so she did with a sigh. "Come in." She called checking first to make sure they were both decently covered. Jaken, the little green man that she was oddly enough getting used to, made his way into the room bowing and trying to keep his eyes averted. Sesshomaru again chose not to acknowledge his servant and continued his study of the drawing. "Yes Jaken?" She decided to take the initiative here rather than be stuck in the bed until the Master there felt like speaking.

"Forgive the intrusion my lord, and miss Rin, but will you be taking your meal downstairs or would you like me to have it brought up here?" Hmm. While the thought of repeating last night sounded appealing the food sounded more so at the current moment.

"We will be downstairs when we are ready." Finally Sesshomaru chimed in. It wasn't very nice. In fact he said it as if Jaken should have known better than to even ask. Rin glowered at that fine perfect back and all of that lovely silver hair. She could just reach out and touch it. He wouldn't mind. She caught her hand before it actually acted on her impulses and wrapped it around her ankle.

"Give us a couple of minutes and we'll be down." She added with a polite smile to Jaken. He didn't see because his nose was still firmly attached to the floor.

"Your secretary also called my lord. This morning's meeting has been rescheduled to this afternoon." Sesshomaru didn't acknowledge that. Jaken however bowed even lower and then exited the room. Rin continued to glower at Sesshomaru's back but since he didn't feel inclined to roll over and speak to her she just got up instead.

"I'm going to take a shower." She called over her shoulder before closing herself in the opulent bathroom. Were all demons this frustrating? She cranked the hot water on and disappeared beneath the spray. She understood that most men did not particularly feel the need to discuss relationship things and that was fine. Really. But was this a relationship? Was it just a one time thing? What constituted demon dating anyway? These things were important to know and drawing even the simplest of answers out of that overgrown poodle was like pulling teeth. But they were certainly good together, she mused as she worked the fine shampoo into her hair. They liked each other well enough and there was no shortage of passion. She smirked at that. She was surprised there hadn't been need for a fire extinguisher.

The water had turned cool while she was bouncing from issue to issue so she got out. She toweled off and slipped back into the room with nothing else on because well she hadn't thought to bring a change of clothes in. The room beyond was empty. She frowned and glanced around to see if he was hiding somewhere but he wasn't. The frown deepened but she went about changing into clothing anyway. She had said they'd be downstairs maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt here. He had probably gone off to dress himself and would be downstairs as well. There was no need to fly off the handle. She smiled and shook her head. Temper control had always been a work in progress for her. Clearly fantastic sex was going to be a trigger not an actual release.

When she crept downstairs and made her way to the kitchen she found him sitting at the table with a newspaper in front of him. See, she told herself. She sat down next to him and calmly waited while the staff brought out breakfast. It looked delicious. She thanked them and then started to make a plate for herself when she remembered something. Sesshomaru didn't eat 'human food' as he put it. Certainly this wasn't all for her? She looked up and down the heavily laden table. Where in that canine brain did he think she was going to be able to eat all of this? She turned back to him to try and catch his eye but he didn't look up from his paper. She frowned but started eating and waited. Waited for him to say something, waited for him to put the paper down, waited for _something_ to happen.

Nothing did. So she finally wiped her mouth clean and set down the silverware. "Thank you, this was lovely. We'll call you if we need you." That was the politest dismal she'd ever seen in a movie so she thought she'd give it a try. The serving staff bowed and left the room and Sesshomaru had lifted his eyes to her. Was that curiosity she saw there or anger? "So are we going to talk about it or not?"

"You dismissed my staff; clearly the answer to your question is yes." Okay so he wasn't entirely thrilled with it but tough. She waited for him to say something while he stared back at her completely calm and stoic. As usual.

"Well?" He raised an eyebrow at her so she sighed loudly. "Is this just a one time thing or something more?" Bluntness always worked after all.

"The staff is there to serve you. You may order them around as you please." She blinked then frowned again. He had turned his attention back to the paper.

"I meant last night."

"Last night was a mistake."

Sesshomaru strummed his fingers lightly on the desk in front of him. He'd made her angry, again. He'd known it the second the words had left his mouth. Humans thought air was odorless, tasteless but it wasn't. And when he made her angry the air around her took on a burnt taint. He'd spoken the truth. He hadn't expected her to enjoy the statement but the force of her anger had taken him by surprise. He'd planned on a nice simple conversation explaining why. Quick and to the point. What he'd gotten was a hurricane. A hurricane named Arinna and more than one piece of tableware thrown at his head. She'd actually thrown things at him! Of all the nerve. A human attempting to harm a demon? It was just ludicrous. And once she was done tossing things she left the room in a huff, slamming the door behind her. He'd said all he needed to on the subject so he didn't follow, despite the little urging to do so.

Humans were exhausting. That was his new philosophy. When they weren't multiplying like rabbits or being so impossibly stupid you had to wonder how they had become the dominant life form on this earth, they were using there wiles to rearrange centuries of thought patterns and behavior. He fumed silently. Just because he'd taken leave of his senses didn't mean that this was going to continue. He could monitor the girl from afar. She could have a normal, demon free life and he could continue on as he had been with just one minor adjustment. That he could live with. He wouldn't tolerate anyone hurting her, that was just fact. But that didn't necessarily mean _he_ had to be with her every second of every day. In fact it was better for all concerned if he wasn't. She made him forget things. Like work, his hunt for the flesh demon that had dared defile her, and his life in general.

She also made him forget his loneliness. She made him forget the centuries that had spanned between the old woman's last breath and the first peal of laughter he had heard ringing through the courtyard. "Mr. Taisho, is that agreement to your liking?" The voice of his secretary intruded on his ruminations. He waved a hand. He hadn't been listening but he didn't need to. The briefing would be on his desk and he could read it then. If he didn't like it he could change his mind. He was suddenly remembering _why_ he had forced the little girl to stay in the village. She'd been a target for every demon intending to kill him and this version of her was no different. She deserved better.

He heard the scraping of chairs as the attendees left the room. He rose as well and made his way after them followed by the ever irritating click click click of his secretary's heels. "I had to reschedule the conference call to make room for the meeting so you have about twenty minutes before you need to do that." He nodded absently. He didn't even remember what the call was about. That girl was infecting every thought he had. "Also the employee luncheon is tomorrow it would be a good thing for you to at least make an appearance. Maybe even say something nice." He ignored that. He was not going to waste his time speaking platitudes and essentially rewarding the ridiculous behavior most of his staff exercised. There was a sigh as his secretary had no doubt realized he wouldn't be going. "And lastly, your date for the party? It is this weekend. I already called…."

"I already know who I'm bringing." He interrupted. At least, he thought he did. He didn't particularly want her making another scene at this party however. And he certainly wasn't going to be apologizing for saying the truth. He sat down at his own desk in his own chair and felt something close to relaxation. He did love this office despite loathing the rest of the humans that inhabited the building.

"Oh, very well then." She was confused and that made him clench his jaw. He was perfectly capable of finding his own date to a stupid human party! "Well I am going to be at my desk if you need me. Don't forget the conference call." He nodded so she would leave and nearly sighed when she finally did. He allowed himself the pleasure of closing his eyes and tuning out the sounds of the building around him. This made the ringing of the phone even louder. He contemplated hurling it out the plate glass window. The ringing continued so he growled and then picked it up. Jaken's high pitched voice grated even further on his thing nerves. He didn't hear much of what he said but he didn't need to. The only words he needed to hear were the ones that rang through his skull. _She's gone._

The phone was slammed into the receiver and Sesshomaru was on his feet. This was exactly why he couldn't afford the distraction! No doubt that filthy flesh demon had decided to be brainless yet again. Or maybe it was even a new demon this time who knew. Girl was just a magnet. He fumed and glared out at the cityscape as he tried to plot his next move. "Yes Mr. Taisho?" The disconnected voice of his secretary filled the office. He hadn't even remembered pushing the button.

"Reschedule my conference call."

"But…Mr. Taisho this call is very…"

"I'm leaving the office." He barked then pulled the phone from the wall. He should just materialize himself home but that would cause suspicion. So instead he gritted his teeth and strolled purposefully out of his office. Several people tried to get his attention on the way to the garage but he ignored them all. He was busy thinking. Where would he have taken her? Sesshomaru would not be so lucky to get a wide open setting like last time. The filth now knew what he was facing. Was the elevator always this slow? He should have taken the stairs. He tried not to growl as the small space was crammed humans nearly overpowering his olfactory sense. Gross.

Sesshomaru's sleek black car weaved in and out of traffic as he raced back to his home. It was the most logical thing. Start at the beginning and just trace her scent like he had last time. Nothing was going to happen without his being there to witness. The punk was an exhibitionist. At least he had that going for him. Although, there was a lot of blood and broken bones between healthy and dead. He growled and sped even faster through the streets. Horns blared and he thought he heard the faint sound of a siren at one point but he ignored them all. Jaken's words were ringing around his head like an insect. _She's gone._ No, she wasn't gone. She was merely taken, again. And he was going to get her back. Then he would chain her to a wall in the room of her choosing and it would never happen again.

Wait. That wasn't what he wanted. Well it was but it wasn't. He wanted her safe just not near him. Well that was a lie too. He growled again as his car screeched to a halt in front of his house. Jaken was outside and blubbering on the ground moments later but Sesshomaru wasn't listening. He would deal with the imp later. He closed his eyes and opened his senses. Rin's trail was faint but it was there. He gathered his power and evaporated, willing his body to travel alongside her trail. It was picking up strength which was making him even more anxious. He couldn't sense the demon anywhere. He tried to move faster through the void but it wasn't happening.

At last he found her! He coalesced back into his regular form and had maybe half a second to wonder why he was standing in knee deep water before something round and solid connected with his shoulder and an ear piercing shriek created havoc with his ears. He knocked the object away from him but in doing so lost his balance and ended up planted on his ass in the warm water. The water which sloshed everywhere at the disruption and drenched him thoroughly. "Sesshomaru?" Rin's timid voice asked with a slight shake to it. He wiped something off of his face before opening his eyes to see and equally wet Rin trying very hard not to smile. She was losing the battle pathetically. He felt his eyes narrow and he growled. "Um…." She looked around the room and then back at him. She lost the fight against the smile and was now apparently trying not to laugh. "Why are you in my bathtub?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: Here is another fun filled chapter for the holidays! Hopefully afterward when it settles down I can actually work on finishing this faster **** Thanks as always for the adds and reviews.**

_Arinna_

She stared across the tub that was now half as full as it had been at the demon that had been occupying her thoughts before his random interruption. She was trying really hard to remember that she was mad at him and not to laugh. He never liked it when she laughed at him. Even if the sight of all that silver hair matted to his head and shoulders before swirling around the surface of the water was particularly comical. Or the fact that his tailor made suit no doubt by a designer she hadn't even heard of was thoroughly drenched. But the most entertaining aspect of the whole visage was the soap bubbles from the bubble bath she had used all over him. He really did look like a dog in a bath, with the exception of the intense scowl of course. "You will cease throwing things at this Sesshomaru."

She frowned. She'd thrown something at him again? She didn't remember….oh yeah! The shampoo bottle. "In all fairness I didn't realize it was you at first. Someone just appeared in my bathtub. I panicked." She said with a shrug, folding her knees up to cover herself.

"Who else has the power to materialize into your bathtub at will?" She pursed her lips. Damn, that was a good point. "I thought so."

"Okay but my human mind is a little too slow for all of that. Besides, the bottle was in my hand." His frown deepened as he wiped the bubbles off his head. "I'm sorry for throwing the shampoo bottle at you." She smirked at the superior face he gave her as he began to pull his very long hair out of the tub and wring it out. "Would you like a towel?" He didn't respond. "Um…Sesshomaru…why are you in my bath tub?"

"You left the house." He said that like it explained everything. And not just why he was in her bath but why the world itself had been created. When she didn't say anything for a full ten minutes he finally turned to her. "I believed you to be in danger." He added when all he got was a questioning look.

"I just came back to my apartment." She struggled to keep her composure at the demon's attempts to wring himself dry before standing again. She was however becoming painfully aware that she was very naked.

"I told you not to leave." He snapped. Oh dear he was angry again.

"I'm not going to stay somewhere I'm not wanted." She said with her own haughty air. Ha! Take that! He scowled. "I appreciate you coming to make sure I'm safe. However, next time, just use the phone." Those golden eyes dilated and then he went into that supernatural stillness of his that was starting to freak her out. It really brought home the fact that he wasn't human. He didn't even breathe. Or at least, he probably didn't have to.

"Fine." He said after a tense moment of silence.

"Fine." With that he disappeared again and she frowned. What a jerk! Just shows up at her house, ruins a perfectly fine moment of relaxation and then takes off like _she_ was the one who inconvenienced _him_. The nerve. She pulled the drain to the tub because there was no way she was going to relax now. Maybe this whole thing was for the best. Yes he was attractive and all but seriously? He was a demon who had lived for centuries and would more than likely go on to live for several more. She was a human and humans had a considerably shorter lifespan. Not to mention she would get old and unattractive causing him to lose interest. Like her poor human heart could take that after giving up being with a normal human male.

She blew dry her hair as she puttered around in her own mind. She was going to apologize to him. She really overreacted this morning when all he was trying to do was be honest with her. Yes he had done it in a very asshole-ish sort of way but that's just who he was. He was probably some kind of demon royalty. She just couldn't believe that they were all like that. Although, given her experience with two of them that certainly seemed to be the case. With an angry huff she ran a comb through her hair, put on her robe and then made her way into the main room of the apartment. She had things to do today before she got dragged out dress shopping. Human things. "I'll send Jaken with your things." She shrieked and staggered back into her bookcase clutching her chest. Sesshomaru was still in her house. In fact he was staring at her like she'd just sprouted horns and a cape.

"What the hell!" She shouted. "I thought you'd gone home." She decided to amend after she'd caught her breath.

"I did." And now that she looked he was wearing a different suit. "I'll send him to pick you up on Thursday after your class." She frowned and cocked her head to the side studying him. As usual, he gave nothing away.

"Why?" Opaque golden eyes trained on her face.

"To buy your dress for the party."

"I've got it covered."

"You are my date for the evening it's only appropriate." He insisted.

"Actually in this century that is considered inappropriate, unless of course we were dating, which we're not. So…I'll take care of it. But thank you." A slight crease formed between his silver eyebrows then smoothed away. "I'm sorry for throwing your dishes this morning by the way. I don't know what came over me. Well, no that's a lie. I lost my temper. It was really rude of me and I'm sorry." She felt oddly like she should give him a little bow or something. He blinked a couple of times and then nodded his head in acceptance.

"Very well then. I will call you with the arrangements." And then he disappeared. She waited a moment before checking the bathroom to make sure he was actually gone this time. Well at least he'd accepted it. She still felt horrible for doing it. But enough with that. She made herself some coffee and took out her art supplies. Her art class needed her attention far more than the tall arrogant demon. Except all of her brushes, and her pencils for that matter, continued to draw his eyes over and over again. It was maddening. She finally gave up and decided to work on some of her other classes. The ones that involved heavy amounts of reading and paperwork instead of the creative thought process.

Arinna didn't pick her head back up until her phone rang a couple of hours later. She was momentarily confused at the shift in the angle of the light but glanced by the clock. When she answered her phone she was not surprised to hear her best friend's voice. Kate seemed fairly surprised to be hearing hers though, at least for the first two minutes. "You were at his house! Oh my god you such a little slut, tell me everything!" Rin sighed and rolled her eyes, having the feeling of déjà vu.

"I got sick Kate and he very nicely looked after me until I was well enough to return home, which I was so I did." She got a very disbelieving snort in response.

"So you're telling me you were at his house for nearly a week and nothing happened?"

"Well he invited me to his company party. I agreed of course." There was a noise of approval.

"Nothing physical happened?" When Rin said nothing she could hear Kate groan. "You don't actually expect me to believe that? I mean, you're hot, he's hot, do the math." Rin sighed.

"Well…"

"I knew it!" Kate shrieked into the phone causing Rin to wince. "Tell me everything, details woman!" With another sigh Rin related the entire story to her best friend. Well the entire story minus demons, kidnappings, and all things related to either. So it was a cliff notes version but it got the point across. "You're gonna make him regret it though right?"

"No. Kate, it just doesn't make sense him and me. No I think this is a good thing." Another snort.

"Fine we'll just get you something marvelous to wear to the party and we'll see how it goes." Rin groaned at the thought but truthfully, looking nice wouldn't hurt. She didn't want to shame him after all. And if he happened to be a little distracted by her then that wasn't exactly a bad thing.

_Sesshomaru_

Three days. It had been three excruciatingly long days with not a word from the human. And yes he knew he shouldn't be referring to her as _the_ human as if she was the only one in the world but he was pissed. He'd called her three days ago to tell her the time and place of the party and before he could even tell her when he'd pick her up she said she wanted to meet there. And after that, nothing. No phone call, no text message, no email, no contact. Period. It was driving him insane. He forced himself not to go over to her apartment and check on her but it was a challenge. He was getting angrier and angrier with the people around him and they were starting to notice. His secretary had burst into tears earlier that day when she'd asked a stupid question and he'd snapped at her for it.

Even Jaken was cowering more so than usual. Not that he minded any of those annoyances normally but it wouldn't do to sabotage all that he'd worked for because some human girl was ignoring him. In fact, the idea was entirely ludicrous. He steadfastly refused to do it so he wouldn't. Instead he would grit his teeth and pretend to enjoy this meaningless display of frivolity like every other human present. And if she didn't show up then he would check on her. Otherwise, she was on her own. He took a sip of the effervescent liquid in his glass and was promptly grateful for centuries of experience in masking his emotions. The urge to spit the vile drink back out was almost overwhelming. How did they drink this crap?

An aging man with a pronounced midsection and thinning hair made his way over to Sesshomaru and after introductions to the unremarkable female on his arm, who happened to be his wife, he began discussing the stock market. One of Sesshomaru's least favorite conversational topics. Thank the stars he was capable of multi tasking and parallel processing or he might have actually had to listen to the odious little insect. Instead he let his mind travel to another source of vexation for him. The flesh demon. He'd searched for miles in every direction but came up empty. He'd had Jaken search the internet for any suspicious incidents that might be related but empty again. He had to be somewhere. Obviously he had no intention of risking himself by staying nearby but Sesshomaru wanted him dead regardless. He'd go anywhere he needed to in order to crush the filth with his own two hands.

Where was she already? It was past the time when she said she'd be here. He tried not to frown or growl but he was quickly moving from agitated to angry. She'd said she'd be here. She'd better not be standing him up, as the human phrase went. Yet another one that made absolutely no logical sense. "Don't you agree Mr. Taisho?" Damn, he'd been asked a question and hadn't been paying attention. He gave a short nod and listened for a moment while the man launched into another long winded expression of his opinion. Sesshomaru really needed to get a grip on himself. This was getting out of hand. Actually it had gotten out of hand. He never should have brought her into his house, or even into his car. In fact, he should've left her at the fountain and been done with it. She wasn't Rin. She may have been the reincarnation of her but their dynamic was all different now and he was floundering far out of his depth.

He had a flash of her beneath him. Her black hair tangled around his wrist and her eyes closed in pleasure. He could smell her skin and almost hear the moan begging to come out of those half parted lips. He shook his head to clear the image and heard the human in front of him bark a surprised laugh. "You don't agree…." The voice died away at the end causing Sesshomaru to look up at the man but his gaze was focused behind Sesshomaru. So was his wife's. A quick inspection revealed most of the eyes in the room were fixated on that spot so Sesshomaru turned himself to see the cause of the fuss. And felt his eyes widen and his jaw fall open slightly. Standing in the doorway to the ballroom was Rin. And she was breathtaking.

When she caught his eye she smiled and started walking towards him the simple movement of which transfixed him like nothing he'd ever known. Her gown was a slinky form fitting number with thin straps and a draped neckline. The color was the most stunning part however. Somehow the creator had actually managed to match the shade of blood perfectly. It set of her pale skin and black hair fantastically. She was a feast for the eyes and in a jealous rush he remembered he was not the only one appreciating this feast. The dress suddenly didn't seem so wonderful to him. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek as soon as she was close enough to him, engulfing him with the scent of her shampoo and the faint smell of jasmine. He would not touch that perfect looking skin.

"Sorry I'm late. I couldn't find a place to park." She flashed another smile. He nodded not trusting his voice at the moment. The little man he'd been speaking for took the opportunity to introduce himself and his wife thus sparing Sesshomaru the effort of having to formulate a sentence that wouldn't end in him shouting. He should've just made Jaken take her to get a dress. Although, knowing the imp, he just would've catered to the girl's whim. She was chatting politely with the people in front of him and then glanced up at him. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing else. He wasn't in the mood to spar with her. At least she'd showed. "Would you excuse us for just a moment, I'm parched." The pudgy man smiled a little too warmly and nodded. As if they actually needed his permission to leave. She threaded her arm through his as he led her towards the bar and then she leaned in close to whisper. "I said I was sorry."

"What are you wearing?" He hissed down at her. Her eyes widened innocently and then she smiled.

"My dress." She turned and gave her drink order to the bartender giving Sesshomaru the arch of her neck. Damn him to hell but his fangs nearly throbbed with the desire to mark her again. When the barman disappeared she turned back towards him. "Do you not like it?"

"I'd like it more if there were more to it." He snapped. She didn't seem fazed by his temper display. It only cranked him up more.

"Well I apologize. You said a fancy party so I just picked something out that was nice. The store clerk assured me it was in style."

"I'm sure it is." He said dryly. Humans always felt the need to over display their bodies and it sickened him. It was so much sickening with Rin of course it was just turning his possessive instincts into the controlling factor in his brain.

"I'd offer to go home and change but I think that might be a little obvious." He frowned down at her and then clamped his hand over hers as she moved to pay for her drink. Bad idea. Her skin was incredibly soft and warm. He wanted to touch more of it. He wanted to press her against him and claim those pretty red lips with his own.

"Put it on my tab. For the rest of the evening." He said eyeing the bartender to make sure he heard and to make sure he didn't become ensnared in the dark brown magnets of Rin's eyes. He was not going to give in to this. No matter how pretty she looked or how good she smelled.

"Thank you." She slid her hands out from under his and then took a sip of her drink. Like the pathetic sap that he was he waited for a sign of approval of her drink before leading her from the bar back into the crowd of people. All of whom looked anxious to speak to Mr. Taisho's date. This evening was turning into a grueling test of his mettle. And he didn't like it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Duh.**

**Author's Note: I would apologize and offer excuses but honestly life is busy I haven't given up this story nor my other one and even if it takes me a while I promise I will get back to writing it. Although, sometimes I forget. So I guess I'm asking you all to bear with me Anyways here is another fun filled chapter and I hope you enjoy. Thank you as always for your reviews and adds.**

_Arinna_

Arinna listened intently as yet another person rambled off into a stock market discussion. Even if she had been interested in such things the topic would have become boring to her long before now. Although, and she hated to admit it, she was actually enjoying herself. And not just because her demon escort was clearly teetering on the edge of violence. Her intention on buying the silky red dress was to make _him_ drool. However she had failed to take into account the other men that would inevitably be at this party and were now gathering around her. Sesshomaru had been drawn away into another eddy of people but his eyes kept coming back to check on her. Then his jaw would clench, along with his fist, all of his muscles would tense and he would stiffly turn back to whomever was speaking to him. Only to repeat the process a few moments later.

She felt bad for teasing him, and in doing so herself as well. She knew that this, whatever it was that was between them was going nowhere. He was a demon and she was decidedly human. But still…he was like gravity. He called her gaze and her attention no matter how hard she fought to keep them on other things. She had it bad for him and it made her angrier and angrier the more she realized it. She had spent less than a week with him and yet here she was, smitten. No, in love. She could admit it, at least to herself. She loved the dog demon. His intensity frightened her sometimes and his world was utterly alien but she wished she could be a part of it. And that was the sad truth. "Why Miss James, you look upset. Did we say something?" Her attention was forcibly returned to her gaggle of admirers and the conversation she had just ignored.

"Oh, no, I…" She flushed and fumbled around for something to say.

"Perhaps she is upset because all of you have been standing here talking at her for the last hour or so and not a one of you has thought to ask her to dance." A tall man interrupted the conversation with the smooth remark and an even smoother smile. He was older, hair greying at the temples, and Rin vaguely remembered Sesshomaru had introduced them earlier. The man worked in the legal department. She returned the smile. "Miss James, allow me to make up for the slight and ask you to dance with me?" He held out his hand and Rin paused. No doubt a certain yellow pair of eyes were fixated on the interaction. No doubt his extra demonic senses were trained on her and this man as well. But, what did she care? She wasn't his. Hell she was nobody's. With another smile she slipped her hand into the waiting one.

"I would love to." The gentleman sat his drink down on a table as they passed and led her to the dance floor. Thankfully the song was a waltz which was just about the only ballroom dance she knew how to do. And her slinky dress wasn't really an option for anything that required more movement. The man she was dancing with was just as tall as Sesshomaru but with more bulk. All of it hard muscle. He slid an arm around her waist and claimed her opposite hand as the music guided their feet into a steady slow rhythm.

"I have to say it. That dress is stunning." She flushed again but preened at the compliment.

"Thank you."

"Taisho is a lucky man." She smiled again. She wasn't his. She was in love with him, how could anyone not be? But she wasn't his and the affection was most assuredly one sided. She sighed softly and resolved, again, not to think about it. This party was fantastic and probably the most socialite thing she'd ever attended. She was here to make him look good and she could do that.

"Thank you again. Now you work in legal right? I've met too many people tonight." She said with a slight giggle. But it succeeded in drawing a pleasant enough conversation from the man that distracted her. At least until a turn in the dance swung her eyes towards where Sesshomaru had been talking. He was no longer there. She frowned. Then she tried to focus on the dance and the conversation. The song ended too soon and she was shocked to see one of her previous admirers standing with an extended hand. She smiled and accepted, being led away into a slightly faster dance but she managed not to trip over herself.

What followed was a succession of dance partners and dances that eventually left her breathless. She tried not to but every spare glance she had she searched for Sesshomaru. He was never anywhere she could see. She fretted briefly that he had left the party entirely. But then she realized she didn't really care. This was fun. She smiled and laughed as another gentleman whirled her away. They'd stopped waiting for the end of the songs and were now just interrupting each other. She managed to beg off on the most recent claiming lack of oxygen and the need of refreshments. An exaggeration perhaps but still truthful. She tried and failed not to search for him again once she was safely in her seat. He was nowhere. She frowned and pushed her food around her plate. What was that ridiculous dog up to now? She made one more scan of the room then downed her glass of water.

Once the song changed again there was someone waiting with an outstretched hand. She'd danced with them all at least once by now but they were enjoying their game and she was enjoying it as well. So with a slight shake of her head and a laugh she accepted. They wheeled her around until she was sure she would faint from dizziness when her current partner swung her out and she collided with a solid black wall. She immediately apologized and stumbled back only to look up into the very eyes she'd been searching for. Hers widened. The golden orbs had started to turn red he was so worked up. Her partner took a moment but then tried to interject on her behalf. Sesshomaru silenced him with a vicious stare that even a human could read the threat in. The guy left mumbling something under his breath and she watched as Sesshomaru tracked his retreat. The next song started and she was shocked when his arm wound around her waist and he pulled her close, claiming her hand in his. "Was that really necessary?" She scolded once the music was loud enough to cover their conversation. One sided though it was clearly going to be as all she got in response was a raised brow. "You could have just asked instead of terrifying him." She would've gone with him over all the rest. Not that he needed to hear that.

"This Sesshomaru brought you here as his companion, not entertainment for the humans he employs." He sneered over the word human causing her to scowl at him.

"Well 'this Sesshomaru' was busy so this Rin decided to amuse herself. There was no need for it and you should apologize. Or whatever you do that is closest to that."

"This Sesshomaru will not change, Rin." He looked down into her eyes in another of those intense moments that made her insides start to quiver. Being the object of that much focus was just unnerving.

"I'm not asking you to change. You do a lot of things to blend in better and making nice with your employees, or at the very least making amends when you terrorize them falls under that category. You don't have to mean it." Though it would be a little nice if he realized that he had done something unpleasant.

"Hn." He twirled her around and she was not as surprised to learn he danced just as perfectly as he did everything else. Except tolerate humans of course. Which made her wonder what he truly thought of her? Humans were insects to him at the best of times. And she was human. Yet he spoke to her. Saved her. He'd made love to her at one point though he'd instantly regretted it. Had she misread everything that had happened? Maybe he was lonely. No female demons around recently so he went slumming it with a human. A human like her who had conveniently fallen into his fountain and served herself up on a nice platter. She looked over his shoulder into the air as she replayed the scenes of their interaction only now tinged with her new outlook. She felt an embarrassed flush start to creep up her neck and color her cheeks. How could she have been so stupid?

Sesshomaru's fingers curled at her back and she was ashamed the way his touch heated her blood even through the silk of the dress that may as well have not even been there. She tried to focus anywhere else besides the points where their skin touched through the cloth. It was a futile effort so she just settled for keeping the awareness off her face. Thankfully the song ended and he steered her back towards their table with a firm grip on her elbow. He handed her the dessert and watched as she ate it. It tasted like cardboard. Even though she was sure it was probably the best of its kind. He wouldn't have tolerated any less. Perfection at all times. The thought made her feel even more inadequate. She smiled at the person who claimed the seat next to her, supremely grateful for the opportunity to distract herself.

_Sesshomaru_

He couldn't understand the change in her. Damn human and her damn mercurial moods. He refused to believe she was _that_ upset over his claiming of her. He gritted his teeth and endured the mindless dribble being forced at him from the chair to his left. Rin was busily engaged talking trivialities with someone or other's wife. He was impressed the woman was even talking to her much less nicely. Rin's sumptuous dress and unknowing perfection had caused envy in more than one corner of the room. He'd tasted the emotions and felt a surge of pride. She was his and she was the envy of all. Then of course she'd begun the ridiculous parade of men and dances. And he'd realized that he had no place to be angry with her for it. She was her own person and he'd told her they were a mistake. Why would he now be upset with her for continuing on with her all too brief life?

A simple answer it was just one he didn't want. She belonged with no one but him. And even if she didn't go on dates or mate one of these worthless little humans she would eventually do so with _someone_. Someone not him. He'd tried to rationalize, telling himself he would let her go to someone worthy. Yet who would be worthy enough? Erickson, the lawyer he'd introduced her too and then had started the dancing spree was apparently quite a catch to humans. Yet even he was not good enough. No one ever would be. The only person worthy of Rin was himself. He could spend the next few years fighting it, waste time she didn't have to spare and make them both miserable or he could accept this new twist in his fate and move with it. He'd never been one to shy from a challenge.

This epiphany occurred right at the time his tolerance for other hands on his mate ended. He'd stalked onto the dance floor intent on claiming what was his only to have her get angry with him and start mocking again. It was a habit he was going to need to break her of. His temper was bad enough around her he didn't need the additional strain. Then that infernal music had started and the need to prove himself worthy to her took hold. Before he'd known just how bad of an idea it was he'd had her pressed against himself and swaying to the music. The understanding of the error had followed very quickly. As well as a complete and thorough knowledge of just how long he'd been without her. Unpleasant didn't even begin to describe the sensations.

But he'd managed to keep himself from taking her in front of his entire staff and that was when he smelt the sudden change in her. She went from having fun to being utterly miserable so fast he was grudgingly impressed. Of course, the fact that she had been having fun when he wasn't there and then had become miserable once he'd claimed her for the dance had him clenching his jaw again. He couldn't ask her now thanks to the interruptions of more ridiculous humans. Stupid, stupid new era. He waited until the person next to him ceased speaking and then turned to Rin. She wasn't paying attention and he enjoyed the scent of her shock when he leaned in and spoke softly in her ear. "Would you like to leave?" He listened as her heart stuttered and then increased its tempo. She turned her face towards his and brushed her hair against his nose in the process. He clamped his muscles onto his bones to keep from moving and embarrassing himself.

"Yes please. Take me home." She was still sad but she had agreed. And it got him out of the infernal hell of this room full of humans. He stood and waited for Rin to make some excuse to the human she'd been speaking to. The walk to the doorway seemed an endless procession that he was made to crawl instead of being able to walk. By the end he was stuffy and overheated. When the fresh air hit him he took a deep breath and allowed his eyes to close and his muscles to relax. Finally. Freedom. Rin shivered and huddled into herself. She turned away from him without so much as a word. He growled and when that didn't stop her apparent goal of leaving him he reached out and grabbed her arm again. She gave him a fully surprised look. "I'm parked over here."

"Jaken will bring it to your house later." She frowned at him.

"Listen he may be your servant but he's not mine. I'm perfectly capable of driving my own car." Had he said she wasn't? Honestly, the places she got some of her half brained notions eluded him. He who had traveled the world many times over.

"Mine is faster." The frown did not leave her face. "It is considered polite, or so I understand, to drive one's date home afterward."

"Not when one's date brings her own car."

"This Sesshomaru has already provided you with a means to return said car. I do not repeat myself Rin." He informed her on an angry huff. He was fairly certain he'd told her that before. At least once. She heaved a sigh and he watched as her shoulders drooped a little.

"You're not going to let me drive home are you?" He would, if she pushed it. But he didn't want to. _He_ was perfectly capable of driving _her_ home and as his mate it was his duty. He didn't want to tell her any of that however. So instead he stood silent and firm until she agreed. "Fine. But make sure my car is there in the morning. I have class." Sesshomaru waited until she was walking beside him before he released her. And even then it wasn't out of any real desire to interrupt the contact. But they were alone now. Outside with no witnesses. He could do with her as he pleased. He looked over, scanned the dress and snapped his eyes back to the parking lot. No, he could not. He would take her home and discover why she was upset. _Then_ he would make her forget whatever the ridiculous cause was.

She was silent the entire drive. He had intended to go slow and prolong the car trip but his patience with human drivers hadn't lasted a mile away from the party. He decided to remain quiet as well and wait to question her until she was home safe and sound. She still smelt like rain. Hard rain in the middle of the night. Even Rin's depression would be an appealing scent to him. He would have snorted at himself if she wasn't in the car. He could handle being without her for longer than a few days without needing to be reduced to this…desperation. He craved her in a way he was sure was unhealthy. But worse he wanted her to crave him. The fact that she didn't was biting into his pride and giving him some very unpleasant ideas on how to change that. Well…they weren't exactly unpleasant. Maybe unwise was the better word for it.

They arrived at her apartment much faster than planned. She was already getting out, once again without a word to him. He frowned at her now empty seat before getting out and joining her. He followed her up the stairs and through the hallways to her apartment door and waited as patiently as he was capable for her to open the door. He leaned against the door as she flipped on the lights and picked up her little feline. "Why are you unhappy Rin? Did you not enjoy the party?" Her body tensed the instant he started speaking and he tried not to let it bother him. Tried and failed. The delicious scent of her sadness wafted over to him stronger than before.

"I had a great time actually. It was fun." Brief unfelt smile. He pressed his lips together as he thought of ways to pull the truth from her. That didn't involve shaking her.

"Yet you are sad. Did one of those men say something to you?" He'd rip them apart with his teeth if they had. He'd enjoy it too. But she was shaking her head putting a halt to his murderous fantasies.

"No. I'm not sad really. I guess I'm just feeling a little dumb." He frowned.

"You are many things Rin. Dumb is not one of them."

"Yeah well you're a demon and I'm a human. I guess the whole thing just sunk in for me. So apparently dumb is one of the things I am."

"You have not always known you were a human?" He was confused. She sighed heavily and frustration filled the air.

"You hate humans Sesshomaru. You don't make it a secret. So, thank you for saving me and everything else you've done. I truly appreciate it. But I think we need to stop…no, I want you to leave. And I don't want you just popping in to my house or following me around or whatever else you do in regards to me. Just stop it and let me go back to my life. Please." She thought…he growled feeling it rumble out of his chest. It was the please that undid his control, he was sure of it. He moved too fast for her to escape and did what he'd wanted to do all night. He wrapped both arms around her and pressed her fully against his body, feeling tense muscles relax as hers molded to his. Where she should be. Where she _belonged_.

"You are not them Rin." He tilted her face up with one pointed claw under her chin and claimed her lips with his. _She_ was his. The rest of his tension melted away as her lips pressed back and her hands moved to pull him closer. He ran a claw softly down the trail of her spine and felt her shudder. With a surge of pride he proceeded to do the rest of things he'd been thinking about all night.


End file.
